Teach Me How To Love
by Shohoku no Miko
Summary: Sango asks three favors from Miroku... And gets four in return...
1. Prologue: Wavering Feelings

Author's Rant:  
  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango", which my idiotic twin posted in the Inu-Yasha category, not the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I SHOULD write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale © Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
  
  
Teach Me How to Love  
by Shohoku no Miko  
  
  
  
Prologue: Wavering Feelings  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Houriki!" Miroku's ofuda flew towards the youkai who took the shape of an onna. It turned into dust and disseminated in the air as Miroku turned to leave.  
  
She looked at him with earnest eyes. Sure, his actions were all too familiar to her. She could practically see him do that everyday, one youkai after the other.  
  
But the problem is, his actions were ALL too familiar.  
  
Miroku caught her looking at him intently. He smiled. "So you fell in love with me now, huh?" He went near her.  
  
Sango's expressions shifted from a dazed one to a stern look. "Baka!" She retorted, and followed the trail of Inuyasha and Kagome. "We have to get going." She said while she walked forward.  
  
"Hai, of course." Miroku shook his head in amusement. 'Sango... My dear, dear Sango...' He followed suit; an arms reach behind her.  
  
  
  
The sukebe... No, the Houshi, caught her staring. And there was a roguish smile playing on his lips. She blushed at the thought.  
  
But she really wanted to...  
  
Her trail of thoughts was interrupted when she felt a hand wandering on her behind.  
  
Veins popped out of her forehead as she turned and hit him with her Hiraikotsu, and sent him flying to the side.  
  
"He... Hentai!" She stomped her feet as she walked towards him, a mercenary look on her face.  
  
  
Miroku slightly rubbed the part where he made contact with the Hiraikotsu as he sat on the ground. "My, my, what temper you have got today, Sango." He looked up to her and grinned.  
  
  
  
The Houshi... No, the sukebe, was grinning like an idiot. Argh! She fought the urge to beat him up into a pulp. Instead, she went near him and helped him up.  
  
  
  
The smile playing on his lips turned into a perplexed look. At one moment, she gets fuming. At another moment, she turns gentle. She is definitely acting rather strange today.  
  
As he supported himself with his shakujo to stand, Sango got his other hand and helped him up. He dusted his robes.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Houshi-sama..." She said while looking down, but then looked up to him again. "But that doesn't mean I liked what you did." She said with an angry tone.  
  
Miroku fought the urge to knit his brows. It was indeed, strange. She was acting REALLY strange.  
  
  
  
They walked; following the "dog" trails and that led them out of the forest.  
  
  
  
"Sango?"  
  
She looked sideways in affirmation. "Nani?"  
  
"You are acting really strange today. Is something the matter?" He asked, concern evident on his face.  
  
"Well, I..." Sango looked away, hiding the blush on her cheeks. "Actually... Kinishinai desu." She looked straight, unmindful of the danger of the wandering hand.  
  
She almost jumped when she felt a hand on her chest.  
  
She looked from her chest to the arms connected with it, and to the owner of the arms. Damn it, he was smiling like an idiot!  
  
But his expression suddenly went serious. And to top that, he removed his hand! "What's wrong, Sango?"  
  
"Na-Nandemonai."  
  
But Miroku stood in front of her, stopping her from walking. "You can't say that nothing is wrong, Sango. I can see it in your eyes." He looked at her eyes.  
  
Sango stared at his amethyst ones as it looked back at her. She was feeling heat rising in her cheeks. She looked down, suddenly finding the ground very interesting.  
  
Miroku sighed when no answer came. He was about to step aside when...  
  
"To tell the truth, Houshi-sama, I envy you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Houshi-sama..." Sango took a step near him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Teach me."  
  
Miroku now IS perplexed. A while ago, she was angry. The next moment, she looks sweet. How... How in the world...?  
  
"Houshi-sama, teach me." She repeated.  
  
Miroku noticed the proximity of their bodies. He blinked. What in the world is happening? He blinked again, this time harder. He was trying to stop the heat creeping up to his face. "Teach you what, Sango?"  
  
She looked down, then up to him, then down again. "Houshi-sama, teach me how..."  
  
He watched her stuttering. "Teach you what, Sango?" He repeated when he saw her looking down. Now what would she want to learn, looking down?  
  
He smiled mischievously. Ah, so maybe she wants to...  
  
"Teach me how to cook, Houshi-sama..."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
So much for a prologue. *Sighs* Well, I have to plead. Please, please, make a review! I beg of you! I want to know if I suck or if I did justice! But do please be easy on me; it's my first Sango/Miroku! *tee-hee* Anyways, just please make a review, and I'm really sorry for wrongly spelled words and grammar.  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	2. Ichi

Author's Rant:  
  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango", which my idiotic twin posted in the Inu-Yasha category, not the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I SHOULD write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale © Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
  
Teach Me How To Love  
by Shohoku no Miko  
  
  
  
Chapter One: Ichi  
  
  
"Teach me how to cook... Houshi-sama."  
  
"P-Pardon me?" Miroku inquired of the taiji-ya.  
  
"You heard me right, Houshi-sama. Teach me how to cook." Sango removed her arms on his shoulders, and took a step back as she examined the bouzou's reaction.  
  
Miroku had a cynical look. "You mean you..."  
  
She nodded. "Hai, I can't cook."  
  
He put a hand on his mouth.  
  
"Laugh at me all you want but please, teach me how to cook. Cooking was never one of my lessons in being a taiji-ya." She tugged at his purple robes.  
  
"Okay, okay! I wasn't laughing at you. I just wiped the sweat between my lips and nose. Sure, I'll teach you how. But we have to go look for them first." He motioned for her to walk before him. "After you."  
  
Sango gave him a scornful look before she walked. 'One down, two to go.' She smiled inwardly.  
  
'So that's why she was acting strange...' He thought as they walked, following the trails left by the hanyou.  
  
  
  
  
"You did what?" Kagome bellowed.  
  
"Sssssshhhh!!! They might hear us!" Sango hissed. "Yeah, I did. What's wrong with that?" She quickly added as she lathered her hair with the fluid coming from a small bottle that Kagome carried with her from the other world.  
  
"Iie! Nothing's wrong, its just that... you don't know how to cook?" She asked.  
  
Sango rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Laugh all you want. But cooking was never taught to me since it wasn't needed in demon extermination."  
  
"Oh, sou ka." She nodded. "Indeed, cooking is not necessary in demon extermination... except if you want to poison them with your food, ne?" Kagome laughed, and so did Sango.  
  
A movement from the bush startled the two girls. Kagome hid behind a rock while Sango draped a towel around her lithe body, then grabbed the Hiraikotsu.  
  
"Who's there?" She shouted, her voice threatening.  
  
The creature behind the bush revealed itself- rather, himself. "Sango-sama!" He shouted as his ever roving eyes looked at her mischievously.  
  
"Houshi-sama? HOUSHI-SAMA! SUKEBE!!!" She threw the boomerang and it hit him squarely on the face.  
  
Miroku groaned as he began to sit up. "Geez, Sango, I was just looking for you. I thought you wanted me to teach you how to cook. You even said that I'll teach you as I cook." He rubbed his forehead, a red mark imprinted on it.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Cooking lessons. I'll be there as soon as I get my bath finished..." She said sweetly. "Now get the hell out of here before I pound you into the ground!!!" She thundered, aiming the Hiraikotsu again at Miroku.  
  
"Of course, of course." He remarked, then turned to walk away.  
  
As soon as the Houshi was out of sight, Sango sighed audibly. "You can come out of there now, Kagome-sama."  
  
Kagome soaked into the water again and heaved a sigh of relief. "Are you sure you could handle him? I mean, he gropes for you all the time. If you consider him as your sensei-"  
  
"I know, I know. That's why I want him to be my sensei. I'm going to challenge both myself and him if I can control my temper and if he can stop groping. I really admire him for being a very skillful person, but never in the skill of groping, mind you. He can teach me many things I don't know how to do, but he can neer get through me. Or else he'll end up into a bloody pulp."  
  
"Whatever you say..." Kagome ducked deep into the water to cleanse her hair, and to end the conversation.  
  
  
  
"Hands clean?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Utensils?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Knives?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Fire?"  
  
"Um... Inu-Yasha just killed it. But he is making another one."  
  
"Good. Now let's begin our first lesson: Chopping the ingredients." Miroku folded his sleeves and dipped his hands in the hot water together with the knife. He flinched.  
  
"Houshi-sama!" Sango shouted, trying to remove his hands from the hot water.  
  
"No, Sango. It's okay..." He managed to say. "We have to remove the dirt and whatever bad thing this knife has so the food we are going to eat is clean."  
  
"Oh... Then let me do that for you, Houshi-sama."  
  
"No, you get the vegetables we need and wash them there in the spring."  
  
Sango got the vegetables and washed the vegetables.  
  
Kagome joined her there.  
  
"So you're really decided to learn how to cook." Kagome washed the coralberry she got from the tree.  
  
Sango smiled. "Of course. But not just that..."  
  
"What is it that I don't know then?"  
  
"Umm... Just wait until he finishes teaching me." She got up, gathered the vegetables and went back.  
  
  
  
"Now peel the skin off the vegetables." Miroku ordered her.  
  
She took hold of the knife and proceeded to peel the skin off in the wrong way.  
  
"No, not like that. Like this." Miroku fixed her grip of the knife and the vegetable and showed her how to peel.  
  
"Oh, I get it." She followed how Miroku did it and in no time did the right thing.  
  
"Good. You're a fast learner, Sango. No wonder you are a great warrior." He remarked.  
  
"Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?" She asked.  
  
But she felt a hand caressing her behind.  
  
"Houshi-sama!!!" She turned and dropped the vegetable she was peeling.  
  
"Hmmm?" Miroku looked up to her. "You're done?"  
  
Sango felt herself go red with anger.  
  
"My, my, Sango. You look like a tomato." Miroku teased, then laughed whole-heartedly.  
  
Sango, not sure if she should be angry or glad that the Houshi was doing this, just went back to finish what she was doing.  
  
  
  
"Cut it into thin slices."  
  
'Cut it into thin slices.' She repeated on her mind, as though it was a mantra. She positioned the knife above the radish and sliced down. "Houshi-sama, its too thick."  
  
Miroku looked at what she was doing. "Uh-huh. Too thick." He took hold of Sango's hand, which was holding the knife, and held the other hand on the radish. "Do it like this." He sliced, and an almost transparent radish was produced.  
  
"Eh?" Sango looked at her back, Miroku looking back at her.  
  
Miroku smiled. "Just like that."  
  
She quickly looked down, trying to hide the pink tinge creeping up her cheeks.  
  
Miroku lowered his head into the crook of her neck to get a better view of the radish.  
  
As he did this, his breath tickled the baby hair behind Sango's ear. She shivered but regained her composure after a moment. 'Did he feel it?' She asked.  
  
Miroku noticed the propinquity of their bodies. his heart was going erratic. 'What the... What's happening to me?' He asked mentally as he sliced again.  
  
  
  
"Oishii!!!" Shippou shouted. "This soup is really good!"  
  
"Of course, Sango-sama cooked it. Ne, Sango-sama?" Miroku looked at her.  
  
She in turn blushed. "Iie... Its because Houshi-sama taught me how to cook." She looked at Kagome, who was sipping the soup heartily.  
  
Kagome loked up in time Sango looked at her. She smiled. "Honestly, it tastes good."  
  
"Arigato, Houshi-sama." Sango bowed to Miroku.  
  
"Don't mention it." And they ate.  
  
  
  
After dinner they gathered around the bonfire. Inu-Yasha looked like he was the grumpiest man in the world, sitting on a tree branch. Kagome was reading again. Shippou ate another lollipop, savoring the unnatural sweet taste it offered- much better than what their world can offer. Miroku was sitting with his back against the coralberry tree, while Sango sat across Kagome, petting Kirara.  
  
Kagome yawned as she closed the book she was reading, then stretched up. "Hmmmm!!! I'm going to sleep now, I think I'm having a headache. Aren't you going to sleep yet?"  
  
"I think not yet. I am not yet sleepy." Sango continued petting the feline, which was slowly succumbing to sleep with each touch.  
  
"I'll stand watch first." Miroku offered. "So I'll sleep later."  
  
"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome looked up to the tree.  
  
Inu-Yasha was already sleeping.  
  
She smiled and turned. "Fine then. Oyasumi..." Kagome went to her things, got a sleeping bag and tucked herself to sleep.  
  
"Oyasumi." Both Sango and Miroku replied.  
  
"Hey, wait for me! I want to sleep too!" Shippou slipped beside Kagome in the sleeping bag.  
  
  
  
Everyone was already sleeping when Sango began to speak. "Ano... Houshi-sama..."  
  
Miroku looked at her in recognition. "Can't sleep?"  
  
"No, I just wanted to thank you for teaching me how to cook." She sat beside him on the base of the tree.  
  
"No need for that. It is my pleasure to help you."  
  
"Demo..." Sango inched closer to him, and tilted her face nearer to his. "I have another favor to ask of you..."  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Actually I have three favors to ask of you. The first one is for you to teach me how to cook."  
  
"And...?"  
  
"And..." She looked down, then up again, then down again.  
  
'She's doing it again. What does she want?' He asked himself. "Wha-"  
  
He was cut off when he felt heat against his hands, and fingers locked with the spaces between his fingers. There was a light squeeze, then another hand fiddled with the prayer beads wrapped on his cursed hand before it mimicked the actions of the first hand. He looked from their entwined hands to her face, then to her lips. He swallowed the lump on his throat and licked his lips wet. Her lips... They were slightly apart, and it was tempting. He averted his gaze on her hazel eyes, and it held an intense look into his amethyst ones.  
  
'Kami-sama... Don't let me lose my control...' He prayed.  
  
"Houshi-sama... Tell me..." She drew her face closer to his.  
  
"Sango..." He managed to blurt out.  
  
"Tell me..." Her eyes moved from his eyes to his lips.  
  
'Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, oh gods...' He chanted.  
  
"Tell me about your kazeana... Please?!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
Gomen nasai for that desperate attempt on humor! Gomen nasai!!! *bows deeply* Patheitc, am I? I know, you don't have to say it to my face. But anyways, please review my story! This just has to end! I have never written an Inu-Yasha fic, so please be kind and tell me what you think about it! Thanks in advance to those who will review, and a big GOMEN for the grammatical errors and misspelled words. Ja!  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	3. Ni

Author's Rant:  
  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango", which my idiotic twin posted in the Inu-Yasha category, not the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I SHOULD write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
A little add-in: I reviewed the prologue and the first chapter and found out that I did some spelling errors, so I corrected them. Gomen to those who saw them! Tsk, tsk, tsk. I didn't even try using my spelling and grammar check! Argh! Thanks to those who reviewed!  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale © Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
NOTE: I somehow made a story out of nowhere, and it is never, and I mean never, mentioned neither in the manga nor the series.  
  
  
  
Teach Me How to Love  
by Shohoku no Miko  
  
  
Chapter Two: Ni  
  
  
  
  
  
"Tell me about your kazaana... Please?!" She pouted as she moved away from him and withdrew her hands from his. "I'm just curious. Excuse me from meddling with your personal affairs, its just that... I'd really like to know..."  
  
Miroku was speechless. 'What the heck just happened? A while ago, she was being a polite person. The next thing you know, she looked like she was going to kiss you. Now...'  
  
When no reply came, Sango stood up. "G-Gomen nasai, I really am getting too personal here. K-K-Kinishinai desu. O-"  
  
"No, no, Sango-sama. It's okay." Miroku held her hands, urging her to sit down. "I can tell you about it."  
  
Sango, somehow, was puzzled. 'That was an opportunity for him to grope me! Does that mean that... He's changing?' She sat down when she heard him move to make bigger room for her.  
  
Miroku looked at the dying fire and sighed. He cast a sideward glance on Sango.  
  
"I'm all ears." She remarked.  
  
"Fifty years ago, my grandfather fought with a youkai who took the shape of man. His name was..."  
  
"Naraku." She finished his statement. He nodded. "And then?"  
  
"As they fought, they found out that neither was stronger nor weaker. My grandfather figured out that if he sealed him in his sutra, the miasma he made on his hometown would vanish."  
  
"Sutra? You mean..."  
  
"Yes, my grandfather was also a monk. He prepared to perform the ritual when suddenly, Naraku sent his minion to attack him at the back. But because my grandfather was also trained to sense youkai, he slashed the youkai. But when he turned to fight Naraku, Naraku threw a black ball at him, and sent him flying off and he bumped against a tree. As he struggled to stand, Naraku went in front of him and said something he can't understand, and then cursed his right hand."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"That right hand could suck up everything into oblivion- trees, houses, hills, youkais and human alike. It will be passed on to his descendants until one of them defeats him. That's why they all had to marry and at least have one descendant to carry on the curse and beat Naraku. When he found out about it, he immediately married his beau, even if there were no preparations made yet. That was my grandmother. She had difficulty in giving birth to my father, that as my father was born into this world, she got sucked up into the kazaana in my father's right hand."  
  
Sango felt a knife being stabbed on her back. The way Miroku tells it to her made her heart twitch, how does he feel about this, then?  
  
"After about twelve years, my grandfather died. He got sucked up to his own kazaana, right in front of my father. It was hard for him, but he had to recover from the pain since he was training to defeat Naraku. At the age of nineteen he married my mother. He had doubts if he was going to marry my mother, Mushin-sensei told me. It's because he didn't want my mother to be sucked up into the kazaana if ever she was to bear his child. He didn't want her to be hurt, especially because he loves her."  
  
"Houshi-sama..." Sango whispered.  
  
"Even if my mother had knowledge of this, she still wanted to be with my father. My father was torn between his emotions. Sure, he wanted to live the rest of his life with her, but what if he didn't defeat Naraku by the time they have their child? In spite of all these, they got married. My father was scared to sleep with my mother. He didn't want her to die. But he wanted to show her how much he loves her. And as if destiny have written it, my mother conceived a baby. Those nine months when my mother was pregnant, my father went away to look for Naraku. He barely slept; he sojourned towards what he knew was Naraku's fortress. But he didn't find him there. When he got home, he didn't know that nine months had already passed, and the baby who was meant to carry on the family curse was born. And that was when he found out that..." Tears were threatening to fall from his eyes.  
  
"Houshi-sama, stop it, please. I... I didn't know that... I didn't know that relating to me your curse will-"  
  
"No, it's okay." He wiped the crystalline drops brimming his amethyst orbs. "It was only then that he found out that my mother was sucked up into oblivion. The oblivion, the void, the blackhole in the palms of his beloved son. And that boy is the person you now call Houshi-sama." He looked at Sango, who was almost drifting off to sleep. "Sango?"  
  
"Why'd you stop? I'm still listening." Sango yawned as she looked back at Miroku.  
  
"You're sleepy, I can see it."  
  
"No I'm not. Just... Please continue."  
  
"No, I could always continue it another time." He touched her shoulders, willing to carry her to her place, his hands gliding down to her arms, going sideways, and to her breasts.  
  
At his touch, Sango's eyes shot wide open. "Houshi-sama!" She lifted her hands to slap him.  
  
But it stopped in midair. Not because she was hesitant, but she found the Houshi sleeping, his head rested on her shoulders. His hands behaving on the spot where he last touched her.   
"Ho-Houshi-sama..." She smiled at his sleeping figure. He is good-looking; no wonder why many girls chased him around every town they pass by. [to think that he was really the one chasing them...] But none ever wanted to bear his child. 'So much for his "Will you bear my child" act.' She thought as her hand strayed on his face. His face... It was calm, very different from the usual calmness he showed. She brushed the stray bangs on his forehead. She traced his lips, and she moved her face nearer to his.  
  
But she stopped, and she slowly removed his hands on her breasts, and put it on his lap. "Oyasumi, Miroku."  
  
'Maybe nothing will attack us at this time. Might as well...' She dozed off.  
  
  
  
Miroku opened his eyes, and moved them to look at Sango's sleeping form. He sat up and stared at her.  
  
'This afternoon, she looked like she wanted to hug me. When she wanted me to tell her about my curse, she looked like she wanted to kiss me. Just now, I felt her breath against my face. She touched my lips, she brushed aside my bangs, and caressed my face.' He held Sango's face and traced her cheeks with his thumb. 'And to top it all, she called me Miroku.' He withdrew his hands from her face.  
  
'Are you trying to seduce me, Sango?' He asked her mentally.  
  
Then, a small smile crept his handsome features. 'Two can play a game, Sango. Two can play one heck of a game.'  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
So what do you think? Good? Bad? OOC? [of course!] Please let me know! Constructive criticisms accepted. If you don't feel like clicking on that reiview button down there, yu could e-mail me at sumire_kanzaki@gundamwing.net or momoiro_onnanoko@hotmail.com. I'll be looking forward to your reviews! By the way, can anyone help me with what Sango can ask for the third favor? It seems that it was lost somewhere in my room... ^-^ Kidding aside, can you please help me? Oh please, oh please, oh please? Thanks in advance to those who'd try to help me! Ja!  
  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	4. San

Author's Rant:  
  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango", which my idiotic twin posted in the Inu-Yasha category, not the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I SHOULD write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
A little add-up: Lady Pyro, hai, you can post it in your site! Happy to hear that I satisfied the taste of the people who are reading my fics! I'll send it to you... tomorrow? Yeah, tomorrow.  
  
WarriorGL: I can put that as the third idea, thanks for the idea!  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale © Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
  
  
Teach Me How To Love  
by Shohoku no Miko  
  
  
  
Chapter Three: San  
  
  
  
The journey to the other town was silent. Although there was really nothing to say.  
  
Finally, Inu-Yasha broke the defeaning silence. "Oi, Bouzou. What were you two doing last night?"  
  
"Huh? Doing?" Miroku asked.  
  
"Feh. You're acting innocent. Doesn't look or feel like you to pretend that you're innocent. You were touching Sango." Inu-Yasha retorted casually. [a/n: Gomen, don't really use slang words. Trained to speak straight English. Gomen!]  
  
Kagome, Shippou, Miroku and Sango all blushed.  
  
Shippou turned red because he imagined what happened last night, while everyone was asleep. Maybe... Maybe Miroku and Sango... They did it?  
  
Kagome went firey red because of embarrassment. Inu-Yasha, of all people, talked about *those* kind of things in public? How... How could he talk about those things when...  
  
"OSUWARI!" Kagome thundered, and Inu-Yasha fell down on the ground, face first.  
  
"What the hell did I do now?" He retorted, anger smoldering in his eyes.  
  
"Hmph! Serves you right! You have no delicacy!" She rolled her eyes.  
  
Sango blushed as she recalled what she had done that night. She remembered removing his hands from his breasts and putting it on his lap. But she thought she felt the hand move and rest again there. Was it a dream? Could it be... Could it be that he was still awake when she removed his hands?  
  
Miroku was flushed because he intended to do that. Not because he wanted to cop a feel on her. He just... Did it. He just did it to see what Sango's reaction will be, but his plan failed. She didn't feel it.  
  
Or did she not?  
  
  
  
"Houshi-sama?" Sango asked doubtingly.  
  
"Yes Sango?" He looked at her. She was looking back. He gave her the look he always gave the girls who melted in his gaze, but Sango... She is really different. She didn't even sigh, swoon, or broke away. She just held his gaze.  
  
"Do you... Do you want some coralberry?" She offered.  
  
"Why thank you, Sango." He extended his hand and touched her breasts... accidentally.  
  
Sango glared at him. "Sukebe..." She said as she wiped the fruit to clean it from dust. She handed it to him cautiously.  
  
He gladly accepted the fruit and began to chew on it. "This tastes good."  
  
"Is this the first time you tasted that?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Well, these were native in our town. We usually use its branches to make the wooden handles of some weapons, and for furnitures. I sure miss these fruits already..." She chewed up another fruit. "That's why I was eager to get some from the tree."  
  
Miroku watched Sango savor the sweet taste of the coralberry. She kind of looked like what she was in her chiildhood... Happily eating everything sweet she comes across, eating heartily, squealing out...  
  
"Oishii!!!" She remarked, coralberries remaining unchewed, and made her expression muffled.  
  
Miroku laughed. "I can see that you really are eager to eat those..."  
  
Sango sat beside him at the foot of the tree. "You bet." [a/n: Kinda Harry Potter, ne? DracoxHarry to the max! *Mwahahahahahahahahahaha*]  
  
He chuckled again, this time much healthier, his shakujo rattling, shaking against his chest in its slanting position.  
  
  
  
"Houshi-sama..." Sango looked up to him innocently, her amber eyes sparkled as streaks of sunlight were reflected on it. She flinched a little, then adjusted to the brightness.  
  
Miroku was already looking down on her. There was a familiar glint in his eyes. He did not speak; he just looked at her intently, then moved his face near hers.  
  
"Ho-Ho-Houshi-sama?" She asked.  
  
He continued to inch his face nearer, and Sango fell from her sitting position.  
  
"H-Ho-Ho-Houshi-sama..." She repeated, but she just found his hands reaching out to her face.  
  
He held her face with his cursed hand. The other one wandered and tucked her hair behind her ear lobe. "Sango... There's something..."  
  
"Yes, Houshi-sama?" Sango eagerly replied. 'Maybe... Maybe...' A pink tinge crept up her cheekbones. She quickly turned her face to the other direction.  
  
But the monk tilted her face again. "Sango, there's something..." He looked down on her again and had an intense gaze on her.  
  
'Kami-sama... Kami-sama... Kami-sama...' Sango's mind shouted. Her mind was reeling, and she had illusions of what may come after the action he would most likely do.  
  
A touch on the outer end of her lips was all she needed to snap her out of her trance.  
  
"There's something on your face. I thought so." He waved his finger and there was a bit of coralberry he got from her cheek.  
  
"Oh..." She touched her cheeks, and felt a something sticky on her cheek. 'Ack! Juice!' She thought, as she moved her elbows to support her in standing. 'I thought...' She pushed the thought away.  
  
She stood and started to head to where Inu-Yasha and Kagome were.  
  
"Sango-sama... You look red. Are you sick?" Kagome asked as she searched for an analgesic on her backpack.  
  
"Iie, Iie!" She waved her hand in dismissal of the topic. She was blushing. 'Kami-sama... I didn't know he'd react that way towards what I do...' "It is just... hot. Yeah, hot. Mizu kudasai?"  
  
  
  
Miroku smiled victoriously as Sango walked away from the tree. So she was flushed. '2-1. Still in favor of Sango...' He thought as he sat up again, chewing more of the coralberry she gave him. He recalled what had happened earlier. He looking at her intensely. She squirming in his gaze. Him inching his face near hers. She looking away, trying to suppress the blush creeping up. The disappointment in her eyes that showed when he just rubbed off some "excess" coralberry, if there really was any.  
  
Sorcery. Thank humans for making sorcery. He fooled her with the dirt trick. As if there was really a crumb of the fruit she was *heartily* and almost *ravishly* munching on.  
  
Scenes of what happened a while ago flashed in his mind again. Damn it, she looked cute when she lay there underneath him. She looked cute when she suppressed the blush on her cheeks.  
  
Ever so slowly, a grin crept up his features, as his eyes became smaller to the grin's adjusting size.  
  
And for the first time in years, he did something he thought he would not do anymore.  
  
He blushed.  
  
  
  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
Sumimasen! Gomen nasai! I am really sorry for the desperate attempt on... uh... how do you call that? Humor? Or was it a plain cliffhanger? Hehe... Please tell me something about my fic. If it really is good, then please tell me. If you don't like it, still, tell me. And one question: What could Sango ask Miroku to teach her? I couldn't find an idea for the third favor... Anywho, please, please, submit your reviews! Much appreciated, really! Domo in advance! Another gomen for the shortness of this chapter! I was typing this without knowledge of how many reviews I have! [If I had any...]  
  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	5. Shi

Author's Rant:  
  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango", which my idiotic twin posted in the Inu-Yasha category, not the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I SHOULD write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
Thanks to all those who reviewed! I am very flattered with all those comments! I didn't expect my first Inu-Yasha fic to be this... successful? ^-^; Hah! Anyways, I thank again those who reviewed, and please enjoy the next installations of this story.  
  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale © Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
  
  
Teach Me How To Love  
by Shohoku no Miko  
  
  
  
Chapter Four: Shi  
  
  
  
Not getting really any further, the Sengoku Jidai stopped from their search for the shikon shards.  
  
Inu-Yasha sat on a tree branch, still having that grumpy old man feature on his face. "Feh. Burdens." His hair was slightly dirty from the soil.  
  
Kagome wanted to osuwari Inu-Yasha, but decided against it. He had all the right to be angry anyway. She sighed as she gathered dried branches to start their evening fire.  
  
"Kagome-sama, you really don't have to do that now. We were forced to stop here because of me. I-I-It's my fault, really." Sango half-walked and stumbled to get to Kagome, and she got the firewood from Kagome's hands. She started to build their fire.  
  
"Don't blame yourself. It was an accident." Kagome grabbed the things again. "You're injured. You just have to sit there on that rock, and watch as I cook dinner for all of you."  
  
"I'll go hunt for dinner. Anyone here who doesn't eat wild boar?" Miroku stood up and dragged his shakujo with him. Having heard not a single reaction of disapproval, he walked deeper into the woods.  
  
  
  
Sango watched as the flames of the fire started to burn with rage. She sighed to herself.  
  
Because of her, they stopped from their journey. Because of her, Inu-Yasha had to skid down the cliff and get her back. Because of her, Kagome has to do her job- to cook their dinner. She promised them another meal, but now she can't cook. Eventhough cooking has nothing to do with her injury. Because of her, Houshi-sama had to go to the woods to get food because the great hanyou didn't want to move with them or mingle with them at the moment.  
  
She felt useless. How stupid of her to fall over that cliff!  
  
Foolish! That foolish for her mind to wander off far, not minding where she was heading.  
  
Well, not really...  
  
  
  
It was his fault, and he felt guilty for what had happened. First, he teased Sango. Then, he groped for her one time after the other. When she finally got fed up and tried to slap him, he caught both of her hands and pulled her towards him listlessly. And she thought that he was taking advantage of the situation, so she stepped back, away from him, but down into the cliff.  
  
He should have listened to Inu-Yasha. The hanyou told him to stop already for they were in a dangerous place. But he didn't listen. Instead, he proceeded with his intentions of playing Sango's game.  
  
But the plan backfired.  
  
Now even Sango was angry at him. If he wasn't that persistent in his sukebe actions then none of these would have happened. How could he make it up for her? Say sorry? No, he would really look like the guilty person. Ask Kagome to talk to her about it? Wouldn't do; it would make him look like an egoistic monk.  
  
He shook his head. What can he do?  
  
As he carried the dead boar on his uncursed hand while heading to the encampment, he noticed a very beautiful tree with light pink and red flowers and red fruits.  
  
'Coralberry.' He thought, as pictures of Sango flashed in his mind. Sango giving him some coralberry. Sango relating the uses of the tree and its fruits. Sango eating her coralberry. Sango slightly flushed with what he did, pretending to wipe an invisible crumb.  
  
A light tinge crept up his cheeks as his newfound idea hit him.  
  
  
  
Everyone was already asleep, save for Sango and Miroku. Sango had a hard time lying down on the futon. Her bandaged foot throbbed with every movement, but every halt would do much hurt to her. 'So much for the peaceful sleep I wanted.' She tossed to her side and faced the fire.  
  
  
  
Miroku isn't really the type to be bugged by such problem. He could easily get to sleep even if Mushin-sensei was really angry at him, or if his father was punishing him for an unjust act. But this... This is different. Everytime he thought of Sango being angry at him, it seemed as though his heart was being torn apart. He felt sharp needles pierce through his skin. He felt an anvil dropping straight from the sky down to his head.  
  
And to top it all, the feeling hurt much more than when he knew his father was sucked up into his kazaana. And much worse when Mushin-sensei told him that he wasn't going to live through the day... Even if the statement was only a joke.  
  
So what was this sensation doing to him?  
  
He felt his heart pounding in his ears. Could it be...?  
  
  
  
She shot her eyes open when she felt lips brush against her cheeks. She turned and saw Miroku peeping at her features. Bewildered, she asked. "Wha-What the-"  
  
A mischievous hand crept to her waist and hoisted her from her sleeping position. "Ho-Houshi-sama...?"  
  
"Tell me, Sango..." His voice came husky, and she could really see the glint in his eyes as his face glowed bronze due to the fire.  
  
"Houshi... sama..." She stared at his face. It was serene. No hint of lechery.  
  
Miroku pulled her closer to him and stared at her. "Tell me, Sango. Do you..." He looked down, then up to her face, then down again, then to her face. "Ki-Kinishinai desu... Go back to sleep now, Sango."  
  
"Iie, Houshi-sama. You-You were asking about...?"  
  
"Never mind, Sango."  
  
"Oh yes I do mind, Houshi-sama. Don't leave me hanging here." She put her weight on her hands, which were leaning against the ground.  
  
"Do you... Love..." He stuttered.  
  
"Do I... Love... what?" Sango was getting impatient. Now don't go jumping into conclusions, Sango. Just... Don't forget to breathe...  
  
The nearness made her heart beat madly; it was a good thing he didn't hug her so close or else he would have felt that. It was too obvious to ignore.  
  
"Do you..."  
  
"Do I..."  
  
"You... uh... love..."  
  
"Love what?"  
  
Miroku pulled her even closer, and their faces were now less than an inch apart. "Do you love... coralberries?"  
  
  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
OoOoOoOkAaAaAaAaAy... I was really out of it. I didn't expect it to turn out this way. Maybe this is due to my memory lapses. [Yeah right!] Actually, By the way, I want to ask one thing: What do you call that yoyo made up of rubber and there's water in it... You know, the one that anime characters usually play with in festivals... I just need it for my next chapter! [probably you know what I'm talking about already...] So please, help me! Tasukete kudasai! *whines* Sorry for the sudden outburst. Demo... Please, review! Comments would be much appreciated!!!  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	6. Go

Author's Rant:  
  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango", which my idiotic twin posted in the Inu-Yasha category, not the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I SHOULD write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
I thank again those who reviewed. You don't know how much it means to me! *sobs*  
  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale © Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
Just some additional notes:  
  
Tomoko-chan, I think I have been putting enough space for the change of scene. I see to it that I put at least three lines before I start typing the scenes that are next. Maybe I just forgot about it... Gomen! And thanks for that comment, I'm pretty much elated by that one... ^-^  
  
Soju, gomen if I have offended you with that DracoxHarry thing... Gomen ne! It's just that I appreciate all sorts of pairing... Gomen, and Domo for reviewing!  
  
Just one more thing: Brownilocs, about that coralberry thing... it is a North American shrub of the honeysuckle family that produces dark red berries. Latin name: Symphoricarpos orbiculatus. Another: it is an evergreen shrub of eastern Asia. Genus: Ardisia. I don't really know what it tastes like or how it looks like. I'm neither from the States nor Japan. I was just so fond when I looked up my Japanese dictionary that Sango means coral, and that made me really scan the whole English dictionary and even my Encarta encyclopedia to acquire related words to it... And as it turns out, I found out that there's such a fruit-bearing tree called coralberry, a shrub named coral tree, flowers called coral bells, an algae called coralline, a fish named coral trout, a poisonous snake called coral snake, and an unfertilized egg of a crab or lobster that turns pink when cooked named coral. Quite amusing, ne? And I know that it wasn't growing in Japan, but let's pretend that the species of that tree was still growing in Feudal Japan and is now extinct! ^-^;  
  
Kept you too long, ne? Gomen!  
  
  
  
Teach Me How To Love  
by Shohoku no Miko  
  
  
  
Chapter Five: Gon  
  
  
  
"Do you love... coralberries?" Miroku asked as he pulled her closer.  
  
Sango's face went a thousand shades of red. "O-Of course, Houshi-sama. W-W-Why'd you ask?"  
  
Miroku smiled mischievously, almost evilly. "Nothing really. But I have something for you." He brought out a piece of cloth and opened it, revealing several pieces of coralberries.  
  
Sango's eyes widened with enthusiasm, and her shaken expression suddenly changed into a childish one. The fruits were bloody red, shiny and tempting that Sango had no doubts and picked one at once. "Can I have one, Houshi-sama?"  
  
"They're all yours, Sango-sama." Miroku smiled his usual smile again. "Actually I wanted to say sorry for what happened this morning. I..." He trailed off. 'It's coming.' He thought, as he anticipated... a slap, a hit, a punch on the gut, a slash from Hiraikotsu... anything. For sure, he thought, she'd react violently because of his questionable acts. Not to mention, she never talked to him for the rest of the day after her fall. He waited...  
  
And waited...  
  
And waited...  
  
Surprised, Miroku looked at his companion. "Sango-sama?"  
  
"Hmmm?" She looked back at him, her mouth filled with coralberries.  
  
Miroku fell anime-style. [a/n: Gah? Did I just write that? ^-^;] He straightened up, and then plastered another smile. "Were you listening to me?"  
  
Sango stopped. "Hm... I think so... Yeah, maybe..." She munched on the coralberries.  
  
Miroku sighed. "Sango-sama, listen to me."  
  
Sango's pupils moved to the corner of her eyes. "Yeah?"  
  
"I said I wanted to..." Miroku thought the better of it. "Never mind, it's nothing." He waved off. Maybe she was never angry after all. If she were then she would be furious in the first place.  
  
"Oh..." Sango nodded, and proceeded with her supposed task. "Want some, Houshi-sama?"  
  
"Thank you." He started to pick a piece when Sango hid the piece of cloth with the fruits.  
  
"Not unless I feed you." She smirked.  
  
"Eh?" Miroku blurted, bewildered.  
  
"I want to feed you. Now, aaaaaa..." Sango held the fruit in front of his mouth.  
  
"N-N-No, Sango-sama, I-I can do this alone." He waved his hand and smiled almost sheepishly.  
  
But he was startled when she slipped the fruit in his mouth.  
  
"There!" She remarked, and ate heartily once again.  
  
  
  
"There's a town straight ahead." Inu-Yasha said after sniffles. He walked much faster than all of them.  
  
They all followed, since they all know that they can -and should- trust Inu-Yasha's olfactory nerves.  
  
It was relieving to Sango that Inu-Yasha was not angry with her anymore, and that her injury had recuperated only overnight. After all, it wasn't that bad. She looked up as a feeling of happiness surged.  
  
The sky was clear that day, and the clouds passed by slowly. The birds chirped around them as they walked out of the forest. The trees rustled slightly at the breeze's motion.  
  
She smiled. At these times, when the weather is fine, she would lie down on the soft grass and look up the sky, and sometimes fall asleep.  
  
Involuntarily, she removed her gaze from the sky and turned it to Miroku.  
  
Miroku smiled at her.  
  
She smiled back. Why was Houshi-sama smiling at her? She looked ahead to their path when suddenly realization struck her.  
  
CRAAA~ACKKKKKK  
  
Miroku sat on the ground, caressing his left cheek where a red hand was imprinted.  
  
Sango rolled her eyes and walked forward. "Sukebe..." She mumbled.  
  
  
  
"It seems to me that there's a festival in this town." Kagome said to Inu-Yasha, who was busy looking at the surroundings. "It's a good thing that we got here early. If we didn't we wouldn't have had a room to stay in."  
  
"And the innkeeper was generous enough to take us in without asking anything in return." Sango sat down on the tatami floor.  
  
"Without anything in return? Feh. That bouzou is already putting up fake spells there at the doors of the inn." Inu-Yasha slouched on the corner of the room.  
  
'Ofuda...' Sango thought as she smiled inwardly.  
  
  
  
Night fell, but the town where they stopped was still wide-awake, since the festival fever is in the air.   
  
And for the people of the town not to be suspicious of them, they also went out to the festival. Kagome loaned a kimono from the innkeeper's daughter and so did Sango.  
  
They walked past stores with glaring lights and fancy lanterns, and it was hard to restrain Shippou from snatching a bite from all the food stores they walked past.  
  
"Oh, look, Inu-Yasha!" Kagome's eyes caught sight of a stall where there was a container with fish swimming in the water. "Let's play!" She pulled him there in the stall and got one of the nets and caught a fish.  
  
On the other hand, Sango was mesmerized on the strange-looking ball with a rubber string attached to it, and water was in it. The boy was playing with it, and whenever the boy threw it away it came back to him. She mindlessly went to the boy.  
  
"Sango-sama?" Miroku asked as Sango walked near the boy. He followed.  
  
"Hello there." She greeted.  
  
The boy stopped playing and the ball went back to the boy's hand. He nodded in recognition.  
  
"Ano... I hope you don't mind... Where did you get that... that..."  
  
"Water Yoyo?" The boy answered, and pointed to the stand opposite where Inu-Yasha and Kagome were playing... Well, where Kagome was playing. "There."  
  
"Thank you." Sango smiled and in a flash was in front of the booth.   
  
Miroku followed her once again. "Sango-sama..." The edge of his mouth curved as he tried not to smile.  
  
Sango got one of the Yoyo and started to play with it. When she threw it, it didn't bounce back. Frustrated, she threw it again, but was unsuccessful.  
  
Miroku wanted to laugh, but suppressed it. He went to Sango and got the   
Water yoyo from her. "Sango-sama, like this." He threw the yoyo hard in the air and it came back to his hand. He did it many times, and Sango was just watching. "Now, you try." He handed the water yoyo back.  
  
Sango slipped the rubber handle on her middle finger and did what Miroku showed her, and was pleased when the yoyo came back to her grasp. She repeated it, and it came back again. She looked up to Miroku and smiled genkily, like a ten-year-old child. "Domo!"  
  
"Do itashimashite." He retorted.  
  
  
  
After a tedious walk, the Inu-Yasha tachi settled in their futons and tucked their selves to sleep, save for Miroku. He was outside, beside the pond near the house.  
  
Many thoughts have been bugging him this past few days.  
  
First, there was Naraku. The ever-diabolical youkai -if he was really one. How he longed to see that evil man! He wanted to pound him, slash him, cut his limbs and bones and then finally suck him up in his Kazaana.  
  
There was also the thought of him not being able to defeat him. Kami-sama, he can't die just now. Not now that he's already nearing that goal of killing him.  
  
But there was always the feeling that he could possibly not kill him. He is powerful, obviously. And whenever they would get really close to where he is, he would find a way to outsmart them. Just when their hopes were already up, he'd find a way out of the mess and escape from them. Now he really has to have that child... But...  
  
Trembling with vexation, he punched the rock he was sitting on. Damn that man!  
  
Then there was Sango. Sango, Sango, Sango. The taiji-ya who is acting rather strange for the past few days.  
  
His shakujo made a rustling sound, snapping him out of reverie and into the world of reality. He found out that someone was holding his shakujo, and that person was right in front of him.  
  
He looked up and saw a disturbed face of Sango.  
  
"Houshi-sama, why are you up until now?" She asked.  
  
He felt his heart skip a beat at the sound of her voice. A blush crept up his features. It was a good thing that it was already dark, and he hid it in the pitch black light engulfing them. "Sango-sama, why are you still up?"  
  
"I just asked you that, don't go throwing back my question. Why are YOU still awake?" She sat beside him on the rock.  
  
"Let me guess... You couldn't sleep, ne, Sango-sama?" Miroku inquired.  
  
"H-Hai. And I was... looking for you. I thought... you left us again... Like when you went to Mushin-sensei."  
  
"Why are you worried about me?"  
  
This question took her aback. "W-W-well I was just... worried because... Y-Y-You don't know what dangers are out there if you go on alone. You might encounter Naraku's saismyoushou and..." She trailed off.  
  
Miroku smiled. "Thank you."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"For worrying about me. Thank you."  
  
"I-It's not unusual... Y-you know, e-everybody in the group does that."  
  
"Iya. No one's been worried about me ever since I went away from Mushin-sensei to search for Naraku." He turned to her and smiled.  
  
Sango saw the sincerity in his smile through the darkness. "You're welcome."  
  
They looked at each other and smiled, and they stared off in the darkness.  
  
A deep, deafening silence ensued.  
  
"Huoshi-sama..." Sango began.  
  
"Hmmm?" He replied.  
  
He was startled when a hand slipped between his fingers, and a head leaning on his shoulders.  
  
"How was it like traveling alone?" She asked as she entwined their fingers.  
  
The question caught him off-guard, and so did the actions of the taiji-ya.  
  
"Were you ever lonely?"  
  
"Most of the time, yes. Without anybody who really cares for you, you'd really feel that way. The same way you felt when everyone in your town died in the fire." He squeezed her hands. "I understood how you felt."  
  
Sango was startled at how he responded to her actions. "I-I thought no one understood me that time."  
  
"Well think again, Sango-sama. Many of us are experiencing the same pain and bitterness that you experienced. So don't you ever think that you are alone. Many of us feel the same way..."  
  
A pregnant pause.  
  
"Houshi-sama..." Sango removed her head on his shoulders and her hands freed itself from his grasp. She sat in front of him and put her face in front of his.  
  
Miroku was surprised, but kept his composure. Neither did he smile nor move away. "Hai?"  
  
"Houshi-sama..." Sango whispered. Her hands landed on his shoulders and drifted down to his robes. "Houshi-sama..." She looked at him, her gaze unwavering.  
  
'Wha-' Miroku thought as Sango's hands went in his robes.  
  
"Teach me, Houshi-sama. Teach me..." Sango felt the cloth of the inner robe, and she tugged at the outer robe for access in the inner robe. Her hands were now between his torso and his inner robes.  
  
"S-S-S-Sango..." 'Now what the heck is happening? What is she doing?' Miroku questioned voicelessly as a pink tinge crept up his pale features.  
  
She felt his skin underneath her hands squirm as she trailed light touches on his chest. "Houshi-sama... Teach me..."  
  
"S-S-Sango..."  
  
"Teach me..."  
  
"S-S-Sango..."  
  
"Houshi-sama... Teach... Me..."  
  
"..."  
  
"Onegai, teach me..."  
  
Miroku's breathing was now uneven. What is she planning to do?  
  
"Teach me your..." Sango stopped, and inched her face nearer, if it was possible, to his flushed one.  
  
'Kami-sama Kami-sama Kami-sama...'  
  
"Teach me your ways, Houshi-sama..." Sango brought out her hand from his robes and held the ofuda near his face.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
Gomen ne! I've been out of it for so long... Stupid exams! They rained me from all my energy! For those three days that I took my exams I never got the chance to sleep! Well, it's also my fault because I don't want to sleep. I get to study hard whenever I study in the wee hours of the morning... Anyways, please, please, review! I crave for reviews! And I want to apologize for the OOC-ness of the characters, especially Sango! [We tend to do that, ne?] Gomen for misspelled words and wrong grammar, okay? Happy New Year, everyone! Yipee! Well then, Ja!  
  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	7. Roku

Author's Rant:  
  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango", which my idiotic twin posted in the Inu-Yasha category, not the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I SHOULD write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
I thank again those who reviewed. You don't know how much it means to me! *sobs*  
  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale © Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
Just some additional notes:  
  
Actually, the last installation of this fic should have been up before Christmas. It's just that I suffered from severe Dengue Fever and I had zero chance of sitting in front of my PC because my kaa-san would surely reprimand me. My head would hurt 100%. But now that I'm recuperating, I'm typing it down; sleeping for 20 hours of the day would be very boring. [Yes, I can't even watch Inuyasha whenever it was aired here everyday!] So thanks to those who waited patiently for the next chapter of this fic!  
  
  
  
Teach Me How To Love  
by Shohoku no Miko  
  
  
  
Chapter Six: Roku  
  
  
  
"Teach me your ways, Houshi-sama..." Sango brought out her hand from his robes and held the ofuda near his face. "Please?!"  
  
Miroku's eyes went wide as his newfound realization hit him. 'What the-'  
  
"Pretty please, Houshi-sama?" Sango pouted when he did not reply. "Ne, Houshi-sama..."  
  
"I-I-I don't know... It took me years..." He finally managed to say.  
  
"You don't have to teach me all the things you know about Buddhism. I just want to learn a few things... Can you please, teach me then?"  
  
"I-I'll try."  
  
"Yatta..." Sango smiled as she leaned on Miroku's shoulder and drifted off to sleep. "I can't wait for tomorrow..." She murmured before taking off.  
  
"Sango-sama..." Miroku looked down at her sleeping form. "It'll soon get cold." He lifted her and carried her back to the hut.  
  
  
  
"Ohayo!" Was the first thing Kagome blurted out after waking up as she greeted cheerfully all her companions. "Rise and shine!"  
  
Sango lazily removed the blanket on her, then sat up. Waiting for her fogged-up mind to clear up, she reached out to her side and felt for Kirara. Strange, she thought, that the last thing she knew before drifting off to sleep was she asking a favor of Miroku. Now, here she was, sitting inside the hut when last night they were outside.  
  
Speaking of which, what favor did she ask of Miroku?  
  
Ah, teach her about his ways...  
  
"Ohayo, Kagome-sama, Sango-sama." The shouji opened and in came the man in purple robes. Miroku smiled at both of the girls as he sat beside Sango on the tatami floor. "Did you sleep well, Sango-sama?"  
  
Sango eyed him suspiciously before answering. "I did, and what about you?"  
  
Miroku smiled cheerily. "Of course. With a warm body to keep me company outside last night, sleeping didn't give me a hard time at all." As he finished his sentence his hands were already on Sango's chest.  
  
Inu-Yasha fell from the tree, Shippou jumped from sleep, Kirara transformed from the cute feline to the growling youkai and back, all hell broke lose and the whole town was wide awake in one second, all because of the word "sukebe" being shouted out loud and a slap resonating in the pacified atmosphere of the morning.  
  
  
  
"Where to?" Sango asked Kagome as they walked out of the town where they spent the night in.  
  
Kagome shrugged. "Probably to the next town. I haven't felt any presence of the shikon for a few days now." She adjusted the strap of her now-losing weight backpack.  
  
"Kagome, hara heta..." Shippou complained as his stomach grumbled.  
  
Kagome and Sango looked at Shippou. "Hungry again?" They both exclaimed.  
  
Shippou smiled sheepishly. "I don't know... My stomach kind of grumbles a lot these past few days."  
  
Kagome grabbed a lollipop out of her pack. "Here Shippou."  
  
The kitsune jumped with glee as he got the candy from Kagome's grasp. "Yatta!!!"  
  
Sango shook her head in dismissal. She glanced sideways, and found Miroku's amethyst eyes intensely gazing at her. With that look on his eyes, there's something bothering him. "What?" She asked, her voice not all too snappy but not that soft. Just plain nonchalant.  
  
"Hmmm? N-Nandemonai, Sango-sama." The serene look on Miroku's face suddenly faded and was replaced with the Zen master disguise.  
  
"Oh." Sango looked at him suspiciously, then dismissed the thought. 'What could he be thinking?'  
  
  
  
'First, she wants me to teach her how to cook. Then, she suddenly gets interested on my biography. Now, she even wants to follow my way of living...' He pondered. '...and to top it all, she acted REALLY strange when she asks something from me. Not that I don't like it, but... Is she somehow... poisoned?' He thought. After being caught staring at Sango, he marched forward a little faster than her and talked to Inu-Yasha.  
  
"Say, Inu-Yasha, do you smell something... unusual?" Miroku asked.  
  
Inu-Yasha sniffled and crinkled his nose and twitched his dog ears, then crossed his arms. "Nah. Why'd you ask that? You feel something?"  
  
Miroku shook his head. "Nothing, really. I was just... thinking about the previous youkai we battled. I know Sango was hit by that youkai."  
  
"No. No smell, no trace of any blood on anyone of us." Inu-Yasha growled. "Why the heck are you asking about those anyway?"  
  
"No particular reason." He walked much slower and then beside the taiji-ya.  
  
Sango saw him walk by her again. "Houshi-sama." She remarked.  
  
The monk looked at his companion. "Hai, Sango-sama?"  
  
Sango brightened up. "You promised to teach me, remember?"  
  
Miroku's eyebrows met as he wondered. "Teach you about... Ah, my ways." He smiled. "Why do you want to know my ways, if I may ask?"  
  
Sango jumped at the question. "I... I just... want to... Follow your ways." She trailed off. "But not how you act and all that. I... I just want to follow Buddha's ays, that's all." She added hastily.  
  
"Hurt not others with that which pains you." He mumbled.  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"Golden rule. Buddha says you should not hurt others with what you know hurts you." Miroku shook his shakujo as emphasis to the heavens.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Actually, Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is known as the Buddha, or Enlightened One. He was a former prince who was foreseen to be a great man who, in the future will be a great sage or a competent leader. Raised in luxury, at 29 he realized that his life was empty. Leaving the crown and all earthly attachments behind, he set foot on a journey for peace and enlightenment. He practiced Yoga and..."  
  
"And...?" Sango looked at him intently.  
  
Miroku mused at the girl's stare. This stare, he was certain, is sincere, and full of interest. He smiled.  
  
"What?" Sango's brows knitted.  
  
She felt a hand creeping down the small of her back. It went down, down, down, until...  
  
"HENTAI!!!!!"  
  
~KRAAAAAAAACK~  
  
Sango walked out of the scene with her head held high, ignoring the bouzou caressing his cheek. "You sukebe..."  
  
Miroku had a not-so-cute hand imprinted on his right cheek, glowing red. He sat up and rubbed his cheek. "...and he lived a life of radical asceticism..." He shook his head. 'Why does my hand always wander off when I don't want to?'  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
Too short, yes, yes, I know. I didn't even like how the chapter turned out but I'm trying my best t insert fight scenes here. You know, Inu-Yasha won't be Inu-Yasha without the fighting. That's their main reason for getting together, right? So please bear with me, for I am currently pressured by my mother to quit my training for me to be a CSPS officer next year, pressured by my classmates to run as a Student Council councilor, pressured by my father about my grades. Agh! Gomen for all misspelled words and wrong grammar, okie?! Gomen ne! Ja, minna!  
  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	8. Nana

Author's Rant:  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango", which my idiotic twin posted in the Inu-Yasha category, not the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I SHOULD write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
I thank again those who reviewed. You don't know how much it means to me! *sobs*  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale © Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
Pin-up: Gomen, this has been delayed for a long time! Actually I was thinking of not finishing this fic, cause I think I'm losing inspiration already. I now don't know how to end this... And I'm having difficulty in time management, running around, greeting my officers, posting flyers all around the campus, being extra friendly and [get this] smiling at everyone... I don't even have the time to study my tests, and I already failed one! *whines* So please, tell me what you think about this chapter and review!  
Teach Me How To Love  
by Shohoku no Miko  
Chapter Seven: Nana  
Sitting across the fire [and Sango, to say the least], Miroku sighed. He held his shakujo tighter, trying not to fall asleep as the hanyou and the miko were sleeping. It wasn't his shift, but still... He couldn't just leave everything to Sango when she is struggling to not fall asleep, too.  
  
But it seems that to her, what he was doing is keeping watch over her, and looking for an opportunity to grope her.  
  
He sighed, again, this time more audible. Why won't she trust her now?  
  
"Houshi-sama..." Sango began.  
  
A pregnant pause.  
  
"Gomen nasai!" They both exclaimed at the same time, and they chuckled together.  
  
Miroku stopped laughing, and stared at Sango. She was still laughing at their silliness. But she looked so... great. And her eyes, they were dancing, and full of soul... Something he didn't notice earlier.  
  
"Ano... Houshi-sama..." Sango stopped. "Can I ask a question...?"  
  
"Why of course."  
  
"Well... Nandemonai. Kinishinai desu."  
  
"What, may I ask, is bothering our taiji-ya now? You know well I could see it." Miroku countered.  
  
"Actually, Houshi-sama... I was thinking of... of your ways... You haven't really finished teaching me, ne? I mean, I still don't know how to write on an ofuda or chant any prayer that you know..." Sango breathed, this time much easier.  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot. Now let's see..." Miroku stopped to think. "Ah, yes, Four Noble Truths."  
  
Sango raised an inqusitive eyebrow.  
  
"The Four Noble Truths were the core of Buddha's enlightenment, as he realized these four things. First: Life is a suffering. All that we are going through in this life are all sufferings, and even death cannot escape suffering. For when you die, they believe that the soul of the departed will then be reincarnated, and be transferred to a higher being if he has done good in his life, and to a lower being if he has been a terrible person."  
  
Sango nodded in apprehension. True, that life is indeed, a suffering itself.  
  
"Second: All suffering is caused by ignorance of the nature of reality and the craving, attachment and grasping that arise from such ignorance. If you are not knowledgable enough of things in this life, we humans tend to do something to lure oursleves in danger, because of merely not knowing. So in everything we do, we must decide correctly, so as not to fall for sin."  
  
Sango scooted to his side, showing interest in what he was teaching. "And the third one?" She said as she sat down.  
  
Miroku smiled, knowing that she was really listening to him. And the enthusiasm in her eyes, it was irresistible. Blinking and looking away, he continued. "The third one. Suffering can be ended by overcoming ignorance and attachment. We have to learn some things in life in order to avoid being too absorbed in wordly matters. And the last one, the path to suppression of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path."  
  
"Eightfold Path?" Sango inquired.  
  
"Yes. This Eightfold Path is subdivided into three, which are the cornerstones of Buddhist faith: Morality, Meditation, and Wisdom. These eight are..."  
  
"You mean I have to follow all of it?" Sango butted in.  
  
"Why, yes. You have to follow all of it in order to achieve Nirvana." Miroku answered, doubting his own words. He swallowed, trying hard to keep his composure.  
  
"Mirdona? WHat's that?"  
  
"It's Nirvana. The attainment of enlightenment and freeing of the spiritual self from attachment to worldly things, ending the cycle of birth and rebirth."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Now the eightfold path. First, right views, or belief in the Four Noble truths. Then, right intention, the choice to practice Buddhism; right speech, keeping ourselves from foul and harsh words; right action, avoiding improper acts; right-"   
  
Sango cut him off. "Avoiding improper acts?" Sango echoed.  
  
Sweat started to form on Miroku's temples. "Y-Yes."  
  
"Meaning... Not to do immoral acts like... groping... and copping... a... feel..." Sango's eyes suddenly burned with fury as she felt a hand on her... breasts...   
  
"HOUSHI-SAMA... SUKEBE!!!"  
  
A very nice hand was imprinted on his left cheek, stinging with pain.  
  
Fuming, Sango's eyes darted from Miroku to the shuffling of Kagome. She sat down abruptly, lowering her voice. "You just said that you have to do right actions! What was that all about?"  
  
"Demo... I was just trying to wake you up so you won't fall asleep!" Miroku reasoned as he rubbed his red cheek.  
  
"Houshi-sama! I can't believe you are disobeying your eightfold path! you just said 'right intention', and then you go telling me that!  
  
"Demo..." Miroku tried to speak up, but Sango stopped him by putting a hand on over his mouth.  
  
"Sssshhhh! Kagome and Inu-Yasha might wake up! You know what it is when the hanyou wakes up without enough sleep!" Sango reprimanded.  
  
Miroku nodded, and removed her hand from his mouth. "Now, as I was saying, the fifth fold is right livelihood, or avoiding indecent occupations; right effort, shunning bad things; right-mindedness or self awareness and lastly, right contemplation or meditation."  
  
Inu-Yasha suddenly jumped down the tree, landing on his two feet.  
  
This took both Miroku and Sango in surprise. "Inu-Yasha!" Sango exclaimed as Inu-Yasha started to unsheath his Tetsusaiga.  
  
"I smell a youkai..." Inu-Yasha muttered.  
  
Sango stood up and grabbed her Hiraikotsu, as Miroku stood up and prepared himself for a fight.  
  
Kirara's head shot up, and the feline stood, waking up both Kagome and Shippou. The feline transformed into the scary demon, and they all prepared for an attack.  
  
Out of nowhere, a black figure began to head towards the Sengoku Jidai gang, and straight on Sango's back.  
  
Kagome shouted. "Sango! Behind you!"  
  
Sango turned and saw the face of the youkai...  
  
"Houshi...sama...?" She uttered before the youkai hit her on her gut and she lost consciousness.   
  
The youkai grabbed her and jumped out of their encampment.  
  
Inu-Yasha followed closely, but the youkai was too fast.  
  
"Inu-Yasha! The youkai has Shikon shards on both his legs!" Kagome shouted.  
  
"Hayai..." Inu-Yasha smirked as he ran faster, carrying Kagome on his back.  
  
"Iku yo, Kirara!" Miroku jumped onto Kirara and they flew to catch up with the youkai to get Sango back. 'Hold on, Sango...'  
Author's Rant:  
  
Gomen, gomen and another GOMEN! I have been really busy lately, and as of now I'm depressed, so I haven't really had any inspiration about this. Thanks to those who reviewed, and I want to grant a wish of some reviewers.  
  
Vocabulary:  
  
Houshi-sama - apparently this is how Sango addresses Miroku, and it means low rank priest  
  
shakujo - th staff with clinking rings that Miroku always carries with him  
  
Ano - a sort of "ummm..." [hehehe] that's what I know  
  
Nandemonai - nothing  
  
Kinishinai desu - never mind it, don't mind it  
  
Taiji-ya - translated roughly, taiji means exterminate, and I can't seem to search for the meaning of ya so I suppose it means demon exterminator  
  
Ofuda - the cute little paper with fuzzy characters written on it, one of Miroku's weapons  
  
Sukebe - lecherous, lewd, licentious, lascivious, lustful... anyway you want to call it  
  
Demo - but  
  
Youkai - obviously, demon  
  
Tetsusaiga - the rusty old sword of Inu-Yasha that all of a sudden transforms into a big one  
  
Hiraikotsu - the H-u-g-e boomerang  
  
Sengoku Jidai gang - Sengoku Jidai literally means "Age of Warring States" and when we say gang, well, practically they are the only ones here who form a group of people, right?  
  
Hayai - if my dictionary is right, it means fast  
  
Iku yo - Let's go!  
  
Hope I made things clear here now... Thanks again to those who read [even if you are evil enough to not make a review... hehehehe] And I hope you bear with me if I don't update soon, I'll be taking my finals ahead of everyone in our batch and I have to review at once! Gomen for all the wrong things spelled and grammar here! Ja!  
~Shohoku no Miko~ 


	9. Hachi

Author's Rant:  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango", which my idiotic twin posted in the Inu-Yasha category, not the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I SHOULD write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
I thank again those who reviewed. You don't know how much it means to me! *sobs*  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale © Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
Additional Notes: Yipee!!! I'm done with my finals and I've finished my junior year with flying colors! *Cheers*  
Anyways, I am so pleased with the outcome of the story. Imagine... 100 plus reviews with only 8 chapters! Thanks for the positive response! And I promise you, I might be updating at least twice a week [if my ha-hang permits] if not maybe once a week. And yes, I'm actually regaining all my "writing prowess" and hopefully, even if I am going to have my Citizen's Army Training this summer, I'm going to finish it!  
Thanks to those who reviewed! [Aiko, aibyouka, Kikyo-sama, Nuage44, tamababymiko-chan, Kaylana, Space-pirate-Kitsune, kitsunekit, KagomeWannabe, Nuklear Firefly, Higurashi Kagome, Anonymouse, gene-kitty, Heather, and all those who reviewed this previously that I don't remembered! *Gomen*]  
Huge thanks to Nonsequitur for those corrections in the definitions I have given! I love you soooooo much! *hugs* I am just a novice writer in this field, I was used to writing in the Slam Dunk category and I'm starting to finish all the stories I left there. So again, I am pleading, take this easy on me!  
Teach Me How To Love  
by Shohoku no Miko  
Chapter Eight: Hachi  
Blinking, the taiji-ya sat up as consciousness went back to her. She reached for Kirara, and was alarmed when the fur ball was not on her side. She looked around, and realized that she was in a palace.  
  
In an instant Sango stood up, dropping the sheets covering her from her previous slumber, and she screamed as she felt needles shot through her ribcage.  
  
The person sitting on the other end of the room abruptly stood when Sango moved, and hurriedly assisted her. "Sango-sama... You shouldn't."  
  
Sango cast her eyes towards her helper, unmindful of the pain pricking her body. "Houshi-sama... Where... What..."  
  
Miroku smiled and spoke. "We're in a palace of a very hospitable prince. You fainted even before we battled the youkai. Evidently, Inu-Yasha managed to beat the youkai and we decided to take shelter while you were unconscious. Now please, lie down again, and you still have to recuperate."  
  
"Where's Kagome and Inu-Yasha?" She asked.  
  
"They... uh... They... went around the kingdom, looking for... botans. Yes, botans."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
Minutes passed by quietly as the two of them stayed silent.  
  
"How long have I slept?" Sango asked as she felt the pain slowly subsiding. This was strange, she thought. The last thing she remembered was Houshi-sama coming towards her, and a very painful strike on her gut.  
  
"You've been asleep for four days."  
  
"Four days?" She bolted up, but then again her ribs started to hurt.  
  
"Take it easy, Sango-sama. Just go to rest." Miroku assured. "There are guards posted outside to stand watch. And don't worry, I am here if ever they break through fifty people." He winked.  
  
Sango raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "And what do you mean by that?" Her eyes narrowed, but then returned to normal. "Did you say fifty?"  
  
Miroku nodded. "Hai, go-ju, Sango-hime."  
  
"And what, again, do you mean by that?"  
  
Suddenly the door opened and light streamed in the room. Sango looked at the door and saw a figure coming in the room, the face unrecognizable since the person was standing against the light. Miroku stood up and walked to the farthest corner of the room.  
  
"Sango!!!" The voice cheerily called.  
  
Sango tried hard to make out the face of the person, and as the person neared her, it came to her.  
  
Sango gaped. "Anata..."  
"Sango-chan! Sango-chan!" Kagome shouted as Inu-Yasha carried her. "Where is she...?"  
A figure smiled as he stared at the shell. Things were now going his way. With this events happening, he knew very well that she'd drift apart from their group, and most specially...  
  
He stopped watching as the shoji opened and a figure appeared in the doorway. In an instant he bowed and greeted his master. As he bowed, the shell toppled, and almost hit the floor, if not for the fast reflexes of his master.  
  
"Clumsy as usual. Won't you ever change?"  
  
"Go-Gomen nasai, Kangura-sama. Demo, I have done what you wanted me to..." He was cut off when Kangura opened the shell, and found out what he was previously doing.  
  
"Oh... So you changed into Miroku and trapped her here... Subarashii, Toya. With this we could break their group apart, retrieve the shards, and have your Sango back..." Kangura smiled, and so did Toya.  
Vocabulary:  
  
Botan - peony, er, peonies [I put there "botans" because I am a not so good Japanese speaker yet, still learning the language]  
  
goju - fifty. In the chapter, Miroku referred to it as go-ju, only as a playful act  
  
-hime - princess  
  
Anata - you (singular)  
  
Toya - literally, it means ten nights  
  
Subarashii - wonderful  
Author's Rant:  
  
Gomen again, I confess, I'm still not getting the hang of it. Yes, school's over, but I have been selected to participate in the prestigious Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature this summer, and I have to stall all my fics for the sake of that. You know, it's prestigious, and I really want an award that will recognize my writing skills [if I really have one]. So please, gomen, I might not update until April 15. But I'll try very hard to keep you in your seats if ever I get the chance to opened My Fanfics folder. Gomen for the delay, the misspelled words, and the inappropriate words and wrong grammar in this chapter... And gomen for the shortness too.  
Ja!  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	10. Qu

Author's Rant:  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango", which my idiotic twin posted in the Inu-Yasha category, not the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I SHOULD write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
I thank again those who reviewed. You don't know how much it means to me! *sobs*  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale © Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
Hehehe... *evil grin* You know, I just can't ignore writing this fic even if I'm still in the process of writing essays, stories and poems for the award giving body that I mentioned before. Well, gomen ne, but this chapter might be crappier than ever. I haven't really had a very good draft of this chap, but I guess this will do for the moment. I hope you accept what I am offering in this installment, and an advance gomen for all the grave errors I might be committing here - wrong grammar, misspelled words, etc. - I'm typing it currently as a taboo, my mom's keeping an eye on me if I'm really doing my "supposed task". A H-U-G-E gomen!!!  
  
Thanks again to those who reviewed the previous chappie! And as for the q's... Higurashi Kagome, arigato for that! And I am 16 years old, I just turned 16 last April 2. My twin's ten minutes older than I am, and we really look alike. The only difference is that she's got the smaller eyes, and a mole on the nape. To gene-kitty, I think so too, it is confusing. But hopefully it'll be clearer after I finish with the extra curriculars I'm having. And gambatte with your Nihon learning pursuit! Tamababymiko-chan, you know I wouldn't really be that MORBID to tear Sango and Miroku apart! I'd tear them, but I'd tear myself more! ~Heather~, yes, I can still remember Botan... I think she's even cuter than Yukina and Keiko combined... And I remember Syaoran *cheeks get flushed* likes peonies... So I decided to use the flower anyway. Hehe! ~-^; Nonsequitur... I really like how you correct all the errors I've committed... You are one true critique! *cheers* And yes, I think translations tend to exaggerate the true dialogues. Someone even told me that I am a bad Japanese speaker because I use inappropriate words... But that's because I depend on my dictionary here, which somehow gives me the "true" meanings of Japanese words and Phrases. I do hope I'd do justice this time.  
Teach Me How To Love  
by Shohoku no Miko  
Chapter Nine: Qu  
Miroku entered a deserted house. Funny, he should have been looking for Sango at this time, but there was something... some strange feeling that he sensed and drew him to the house. And here he is now, prying through things that were left untouched for what seems like almost a decade.  
  
He walked further into the house, Kirara trailing him. He stopped as he saw a ningyo sitting on what is supposed to be a chair for it. Slightly dusting it off, he picked it up.  
  
Attached to the ningyo were black tendrils that reach through the middle of the back, and a string was tied on it, from the right shoulder to the left side.  
  
"This ningyo seems to be well taken care of, why do you think the owner had left this, Kirara?" Miroku held out the ningyo to Kirara, who merely purred in reply.  
  
Miroku chuckled. "I guess you think the same as I do."  
  
As he set the ningyo back on the table a sudden gust of wind went through the almost shut house. Kirara growled violently as Miroku hit his shakujo on the floor, the rings on his staff clinking, while holding an ofuda on his cursed hand.  
  
"It's coming..." Miroku whispered, and Kirara growled even more.  
  
Out of nowhere a tall man appeared, with black hair braided behind him, dressed in a blue hakama, his purple eyes glazed with fury. He held the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheathe.  
  
"Irashii, Miroku." The man said.  
  
Miroku's eyes scanned the man's features as he realized something. 'This man... He looks... Exactly like me...'  
"Toya-san!" Sango shouted as she recognized the prince, who seemed to have helped her earlier.  
  
"Sango! Sango-hime!" Toya pulled Sango into his arms lovingly. "Oh you don't know how much I missed you! It's been ten long years!"  
  
Sango smiled hesitantly. "Ten years?"  
  
Toya pulled away, looking at her questioningly. "Have you forgotten, Sango? It's been ten years since we last saw each other, and you never came back to our kingdom..."  
  
"Oh, yes." She nodded.  
  
"I really missed you!" Toya buried her again in his embrace.  
  
Sango smiled, this time, a genuine one.  
  
Her smile faded when she heard a slashing sound, and a feeling of blood dripping from her back made her pull away.  
  
And what was in front of her now was not her childhood friend, but someone else. His amethyst eyes were narrowed mischievously, his lips wearing an evil grin as it slowly evolved into a diabolical laugh.  
  
Sango felt her world dimming fast. She could hear his evil chuckle. "Now, Sango, you DIE!!!" He shouted.  
  
Sango's eyes were about to shut tight as she recognized who was in front of her. And before losing consciousness, she managed to speak. "Ho... Houshi-sa... ma... Dou... Doushi... te...?"  
"Who are you?" Miroku asked the stranger in front of him.  
  
The man laughed, an irritating one. "Watashi wa..." He trailed off as he snapped his finger. "...Toya des."  
  
A few seconds after the snapping sound, a mist appeared beside him and took the form of a woman. After a few seconds, the woman was recognizable.  
  
Miroku felt his world crash as he saw what... who seemed to be a... ghost. His mouth went dry, but he still spoke. "...Sango...?"  
  
Toya grinned. "Sango. My dear, dear Sango. Look at the man before you. That man... The bouzou... The one you call "Houshi-sama"... The person who killed you."   
  
Sango's aura changed into a fighting one - one of fury and angst. She charged at Miroku, who at that time was too shocked to move. Her Hiraikotsu on her right hand, Sango slashed and the humungous boomerang hit Miroku's side.  
  
Miroku flew towards the far end of the room, crashing into the table and taking it with him to the wall, such power this taiji-ya possess. "How... Sango-sama... What happened...?" He tried to talk to her, but the anger smoldering in her translucent orbs took hold of his thoughts. 'Sango... Dead... Masaka...It can't... be...'  
  
Toya found himself a large chair to sit on, as he watched with glee what was happening before him. This was how things were meant to be... The Houshi slaughtered, and the taiji-ya his... eien ni.  
Miroku struggled to stand, as Kirara ran to his side, ready to save him from a lunging spirit. Kirara growled at her mistress.  
  
The spirit aimed her Hiraikotsu at Kirara, but she did not move. Sango then threw the weapon on her pet, which went through the cat's body.  
  
Miroku stared wide-eyed as it registered in his mind. The boomerang... It did not even hurt Kirara! What.... What did just happen there?  
  
Toya, who had the same reaction as Miroku's, was angered by what has happened. "Sango, dear, never mind that fur ball, kill that darn monk!" His eyes glowed an eerie shade of green.  
  
At the same time, Sango's eyes glimmered, the same as Toya's.  
  
Recovering, Miroku stood up. "Daijobu, Kirara?"  
  
Kirara growled once again at Sango.  
  
'Why would Kirara growl at Sango?'  
  
'Is it possible...?'  
  
'Could it be... that... this is not she?'  
  
Miroku dodged the Hiraikotsu with his shakujo, and it finally hit him. 'That's it!'  
  
He prepared for another bout with Sango, who seemed to think ahead of him as she again charged towards him. Then he threw the ofuda on Sango.  
  
The ofuda flew and stuck on Sango's chest. He then closed his eyes and chanted. [Gomen, I don't know any chant of Buddhists yet. Demo if I find one, rest assured that I will be replacing the text of this chapter. Gomen again!] Opening his eyes, he shouted. "The real Sango, come out!"  
  
In a flash of light, something glowed from Sango's chest, apparently from her heart, and the ball of light slowly crept up from the chest to her throat, and out from her mouth.  
  
The supposed ghost disseminated and the ball of light, after settling on the floor, gave way to a crouching Sango. The real Sango.  
  
Enraged, Toya threw a dagger towards Miroku. "Kyarou! How...?"  
  
Miroku easily evaded the attack. "Simple. You made me believe that she was dead, so her attack hit me. Kirara, on the other hand, didn't believe that her mistress had died. So her blow just went through the feline's body." He then rushed to Sango's side. "Sango, daijobu ka?"  
  
Sango smiled weakly. "Un, daijobu... Arigato, Houshi-sa-"  
  
Her speech was cut off when she felt an aching sensation on her back. And something entering her body.  
  
Her eyes dilated, and her body trembled and she lost consciousness.  
  
Miroku caught her in time before landing on the floor. He held her, and realized that she had a very large wound on her back. The blood on his left hand told him so. He shot a glare on Toya. "What did you do to her?"  
  
Toya answered defensively. "Oh no, I haven't done anything. Maybe YOU did."  
  
Miroku had a perplexed look on his face. "What the hell are you saying?"  
  
"Ask her yourself." And with that Toya disappeared.  
  
"Sango..." Miroku carried her and ran out of the house. After going through the exit, Kirara transformed into the youkai and offered her back to Miroku.  
  
"Kirara, arigato." He rode on her back, still cradling Sango in his arms, as they flew above the ground and towards Kaede's house. His right hand held Sango's left hand, while his left gripped tighter on Kirara's mane. "Hayaku, Kirara. We have to get her to Kaede in time." The cat sped up. 'Buddha, onegai, let her be all right...'  
Vocabulary:  
  
Ningyo - doll  
  
Hakama - think of Kikyo's dress and leave the description to your mind  
  
Irashii - welcome  
  
Doushite - Why  
  
Watashi wa... des - I am... [put the name here] Somehow this is formal because I think it would be inappropriate to use modern Nihonggo in a feudal story  
  
Bouzou - monk  
  
Masaka - impossible  
  
Eien ni - for all eternity  
  
Daijobu - all right, which most likely would be meaning 'are you all right'  
  
Ka - you, in a very casual way  
  
Kyarou - damn you, something like that  
  
Hayaku - faster, which most likely would have been the contraction of 'hayai suru'  
  
Kaede - actually, it means maple, or autumn leaves  
Author's Rant:  
  
There you have it, chapter nine. Pity me for my writing; I was still absorbed in the story I was writing for the contest. I really don't write violence. And I think there were misspelled and there were incorrect grammar hanging around somewhere in the fic... Gomen nasai for all those! And yes, I know the story's getting a bit confusing [if not a bit, a lot] but I hope things will clear out on the next chappie. Please, don't forget to review, and tell me what you think. Should I change my paradigm? Am I getting too twisted here? Or am I still doing justice on this story? Tell me! I desperately need to know! ^-^;  
  
Well, then. Ja, minna!  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	11. Ju

Author's Rant:  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango," which my idiotic twin posted in the Inuyasha category, not in the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I should write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
I thank again those who reviewed. You don't know how much it means to me! *sobs*  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale ©Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
Teach Me How To Love  
  
By Shohoku no Miko  
  
Chapter Ten: Ju  
  
Kirara yawned for the nth time, trying to keep her eyes open as her mistress slept on the hay that Miroku and Kagome stacked at the corner of the room. The candle was the only source of light in the room, but its emanating rays flickered on the walls. She yawned yet again, and glanced at the priest seated beside the haystack.  
  
Miroku looked like he was contemplating on things that were unfathomable. If only Sango was awake, she would have queried about it, but because of the circumstances...  
  
Sango stirred from her position, trying to lie down on her side, facing Miroku.  
  
Miroku snapped out of trance and regarded Sango's mere adjustment of her position. "Sango...?" He asked, hoping that the taiji-ya regains consciousness.  
  
No answer.  
  
He sighed. What was that Toya guy pointing out?  
  
"Oh no, I haven't done anything... Maybe YOU did..."  
  
What did he do? Sango was kidnapped and he just went to look for her, and now he's the one who injured her? It doesn't make any sense... Well, according to the most level-headed member of the Inuyasha-tachi. He sighed again, this time a much audible one.  
  
Kagome looked up from her Physics book [a/n: I'm a senior now, we focus more on Physics... Hehehe...] upon hearing Miroku's heave. "Something the matter?"  
  
He shot his head towards the direction of the voice. "Ah, Kagome-sama. Nothing the matter." He smiled, a very pretentious one.  
  
But Kagome was not one to be fooled at once. "Are you sure? I think you're thinking about Sango-chan and the past events, ne?" She closed her book. "Of course everybody worries about it now. Even I, who has to go back tomorrow to the other side of the well to take my exams, am thinking about it. Now tell me, what exactly happened? Why was she bleeding profusely?"  
  
"I myself do not know... But I found her - well, sort of - in an abandoned house. There's this guy named Toya who had eerie eyes that glowed green. He seemed to have control over Sango that time, because when his eyes glowed, Sango's did too. He made an illusion for me to believe that Sango was really dead, but she wasn't. It took me time to realize that the Sango in front of me was only a product of my imagination - because I believed that she was already dead. But thanks to Kirara here..." Miroku patted Kirara and placed her on his lap, just like how Sango would reach for her pet and start combing her furs. The feline succumbed to the strokes of the Houshi's hand which seemed to have the same effect on her as to what Sango's hands do to her. "I was able to overcome whatever spell he made. Then I used my powers to dispel the true Sango. She came out from the smoke that took her form... And she was already bleeding... And when I asked Toya what he did to her, he just..." Miroku placed the sleeping cat down on her former place, then sighed again.  
  
"Then what?" Kagome queried.  
  
"Then... I really don't understand what he said. He said he hasn't done anything and that maybe I did something to her."  
  
"Eh?"   
  
Miroku nodded. "Perplexing... I can't comprehend it... And there's more to it..."  
  
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "There's more?"  
  
Miroku nodded. "This Toya guy... I don't know if my eyes deceived me, but he also had purple eyes... In fact I think he looked just like me..." He placed his shakujo down on the floor, put his head in his hands while staring at the taiji-ya's sleeping form.  
  
Kagome's eyes went wide. "He... Looks... Just like you...? Demo... How...?"  
  
"There are so many complicated things about this incident. Yes, he did look like me..." Miroku remembered as he tucked the loose strand of black hair coming out from Sango's loosely tied hair. "...Except that he's wearing a gi and hakama, that is. And he has no hand restraints."  
  
"To tell you the truth Miroku-sama, I have something to tell you..." Kagome now set aside the book she was holding and faced Miroku fully, the flicking shadow she made danced as she moved. "You see, when you brought her here, I was sensing something..." Kagome's voice faded.  
  
"Sense... You mean, a shard?" Miroku asked.  
  
Kagome's eyebrows creased. "I am not quite sure..."  
  
Sango stirred once again, and this time, she bolted upright from her supine state.  
  
"Sango!"  
  
"Sango-chan!"  
  
Both Miroku and Kagome rushed to her side, concern obvious in their voices. Especially Miroku, who at that time was already at the verge of deciding to set foot on a mission to eradicate Toya from the world.  
  
Sango breathed hard, panting, as if grasping for air. Her back hurt and so does her belly.  
  
Miroku reached for her hand. "Sango... Daijobu ka?"  
  
Sango glanced at the person who held her hand. She stared hard at Miroku's face, earning herself questioning looks from both the miko and the houshi. "Anata ga..."  
  
Kagome held her friend's shoulder. "Sango-chan..."  
  
From a confused look her face contorted into an angry one. She slapped Miroku's hand from hers as she reached for the nearest object within grasp. Feeling something, she threw it at the monk.   
  
The teacup, obviously the object the taiji-ya grabbed, hit Miroku square on his face, which caused him to stumble on his shakujo that lay on the floor behind him. Struggling to maintain his balance and consequently failing to do so, Miroku half-dived half-fell on the haystack on the other side of the room.  
  
Seeing this, Kagome held on Sango's arm. "Demo, Sango-chan, he didn't do anything perverted towards you..." Kagome stated matter-of-factly, expecting a witty remark to come out from her friend's mouth.  
  
The witty remark that came after, though, was difficult to classify, for Sango's eyes went an eerie glimmer of green.  
  
"Merely hitting him isn't enough... It isn't even enough to restore our townspeople's lives and a taiji-ya's honor..." Sango retorted, anger smoldering not only in her eyes but also in the tone of her voice. "DIE YOU MURDERER!!!" Sango shouted as she tried to reach for her Hiraikotsu.  
  
Sensing, or rather, sniffing some hostility in the air, Inuyasha came in the almost burnt-down shack. "Oi!" Came his oh-so-comforting call. "What's happening in here?" Inuyasha swung in from the window opening near the tree he was slouching in.  
  
Sango snapped. "How could you include that murderer in our group?" She asked Inuyasha as she struggled to get out of Kagome's unbelievably-strong grip.  
  
"Oi! What the heck are you saying!?" Inyasha asked, apparently not yet getting the point. "The bouzou may be one hell of a sukebe but he's definitely no murderer..."  
  
Toya smiled as he stared at his latest 'masterpiece,' as he puts it. "Yes Sango, that monk... Kill him."  
  
Sango's eyes went an eerie glow of green once again as Miroku recovered himself from the haystack. Strands of hay were sticking out of his hair and his robes but he was oblivious of those because only one word echoed through his systems. 'Murderer...'  
  
"Miroku-sama!!! Look out!!!" Kagome shouted, finally losing grip on her best friend.  
  
Inuyasha moved to Miroku's aid as Kagome gripped Sango a second too late.   
  
Miroku snapped out of reverie just in time to dodge the boomerang aimed directly at him. "Sango... Doushite...?"  
  
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" With that said, she charged at the vulnerable monk.  
  
"Ahahahahaha!!!" Toya laughed like a lunatic, satisfaction evident in the glint in his eyes. "That's it Sango! Kill him!"  
  
"Keep that silly grin off your face. It's sickening!"  
  
Toya looked up to see Kagura flying down towards him. She stared at him mockingly. "Ah, so you're here..." Kagura's humungous fan vanished into thin air as Toya sized her down from his self-pronounced throne.   
  
"Duh, obviously you stupid hanyou. Have you done what Naraku has ordered?" She peered at the shell Toya was holding.  
  
"Hai. Soon I'll be getting my part of the bargain. After all, he only wanted me to get rid of the houshi." Toya grinned like a maniac. "Soon Sango shall be mine..." He clapped his hands in delight.  
  
Wrong move. He accidentally dropped the shell.  
  
Miroku still couldn't believe it. Why was she calling him a murderer? Why was she saying that he killed the whole of the taiji-ya village? He took a step closer towards Sango, risking his safety. "Sango-sama..."  
  
At Miroku's words, she stopped. Sango's once glowing eyes went dull, then turned back to its usual auburn color. She felt like falling down.  
  
"Hou...shi...sama... Ta-tasukete... Tasukete kudasai..." She uttered as she felt herself succumb to vertigo.  
  
Just in the nick of time, Miroku caught Sango's body as it went limp before it even hit the floor.  
  
"Sango!"  
  
"You stupid fool!!!" Kagura screeched at Toya.  
  
Toya frantically reached down from his place. "The shell!!!" He felt for it under his throne. "Ah! Here it is!"  
  
Kagura laughed hysterically. "Hah! With how careless you are, you won't even pass for Naraku's minion."  
  
"Well, how does Naraku choose his minion then, if he chose you?" Toya taunted.  
  
"Ah?!" Kagura looked pissed. "Who are you to talk like THAT?! You should be thankful that I chose you to do the job! Or else you wouldn't have the chance to get your most-sought mate..." Kagura finished. "I can't believe you even fell for that taiji-ya..." She whispered out of his earshot.  
  
Toya, too engrossed on his treasured shell, failed to hear Kagura's last remark. "Ah, its a good thing it was only cracked..."  
  
Sango woke up suddenly, her eyes meeting black everywhere. "Houshi-sama? Houshi-sama... Kagome-chan? Inuyasha? Kohaku?" She called on all the people precious to her, hoping that someone will respond to her calls. [a/n: Did I reveal too much with that statement? ^_^;]  
  
A blinding flash of light made Ssngo flinch as she used her hands to shield her eyes.  
  
Finally adjusting to the light, she opened her eyes and found herself seated at a chair, all tied up.She tried to break free, but somehow with every effort she made to escape, the further damage the bindings created on her wrists.  
  
How she ended up there she didn't know; nor does she know whose hands suddenly caressed her face. She tilted her head to see who it was, but her head was held tightly by the anonymous person.  
  
"Curiosity leads to danger, my dear Sango..." The mysterious voice said.  
  
But however mysterious the voice sounded, a familiar tone in it made her want to guess who it was.  
  
"...Houshi-sama...?" She guessed, as the person stepped into the light.  
  
"Uh... Not quite, my dear."  
  
Sango's eyes went wide as she saw her captor.  
  
"You see..." Her captor held her chin and brought his face near hers. "...I may have some resemblance with your precious monk, but I am definitely another person..." He said, his nose touching Sango's. His other hand went to her thigh.  
  
True, her captor and her houshi [a/n: Argh! I'm revealing too much!] looked and acted like the same person, but this one had purple, shallow eyes that held no emotion in it. His eyes were no match for Miroku's orbs. Miroku's eyes were so purple and full of emotions that she was always drowning in the depths of his gaze.  
  
Sango wriggled out of his grasp and fortunately managed to keep her face away from his face. Her eyes narrowed. "Iya... Miroku's entirely different from you. He's no monster so get your filthy hands off me!" She shouted at her captor. "Who are you anyway?" She half-asked, half-taunted. Then she sighed haughtily. "Ha! Not that I care anyway. I mean, who would want to know a beast like you?"  
  
The mysterious man drew away from her, a smirk playing on his lips. "Right. I am nothing compared to your weakling houshi. I am Toya, don't you remember?"  
  
"I don't know you, I don't remember you and I don't care about you. And let me tell you that you better count and device ten thousand ways to keep Miroku, Inuyasha and Kagome from killing you. I know they're already out there looking for me."  
  
Toya sneered. "Hm... Do you think they'll look for you if you're with them already?"  
  
Sango raised an eyebrow. In response, Toya showed her a shell that glowed green. Peering, she gasped as she saw herself aiming her Hiraikotsu at a houshi that just recovered from a fall on the haystack.  
  
"Sonna..." She mumbled.  
  
Toya smirked yet again. "No one's going to help you... You're going to be mine..." He held Sango's arms tightly and revealed his fangs, preparing to bite her on her neck.  
  
Sango began to fret. 'What'll I do... What'll I do? Think fast Sango!'  
  
And as if on cue, the shell fell from Toya's hand.  
  
She felt the rope binding her loosen a bit and immediately she did what she could in her situation. "Houshi-sama! Tasukete!!! Tasukete kudasai!!!"  
  
Toya couldn't do anything with the crack the shell acquired. So instead of changing the shell and risking losing the spell, he shut the shell and held it firmly in his hand.  
  
"You really want her, do you?" Kagura queried as a feather-made fan magically appeared out of nowhere.  
  
"As much as you want the kitsune-boy, I presume." He countered.  
  
Kagura looked at Toya skeptically. "THAT isn't involved here, hanyou. You are most likely more irritating than the kid Sesshomaru carries around." She huffed as she closed her fan and at the same time her humungous feather appeared. "You better finish the monk as soon as possible if you want your part of the bargain fast." With that, she flew away.  
  
"Don't worry Kagura, I'll finish this before Kanna learns how to smile." Toya said.  
  
Apparently, Kanna already knows how to smile... Only she chooses NOT to.  
  
...tsuzuku...  
  
Vocabulary:  
  
Taiji-ya - taiji means exterminate, so probably -ya means something like person.  
  
-tachi - suffix which is placed to indicate many peole, which in this case, "Inuyasha-tachi" means "Inuyasha's group." This is somehow synonymous to "gumi" as in Sakura Taisen, "Hanagumi" means "Flower group." [Uh, did I just say too much again?]  
  
-sama - honorific suffix indicating respect.  
  
-chan - honorific suffix indicating nonchalance or friendly relationship. [Almost everyone knows that.]  
  
Ne - when placed before a clause, it means "hey" [or something like that] but when placed after, it sort of means "right?" as in "You knew about it, right?"  
  
Houshi - anyone who loves Miroku would have at least given thirty different ways to pronounce this word [I have done thirty-four, no kidding!] It means 'priest.'  
  
Shakujo - Miroku's ever reliable staff [Shakujo is an all-around mate for him! He casts wards with it, gains support by it, fights with it, makes his presence known by it, maybe he even tries to grope Sango by it! (Argh! Don't think green!)]  
  
Demo - not a short term for demonstration, it means 'but.'  
  
Gi - an upper clothing for traditional Japanese men [think Himura Kenshin's or Seta Soujiro's clothes]  
  
Hakama - the lower clothing; the counterpart of the gi which looks like a drawstring pants except its mega-flared as it starts from the waist.  
  
Daijobu ka - 'are you all right?' It is sort of a shortcut term for 'daijobu desu ka?'  
  
Anata ga - you ['ga' is a honorific for the subject of the sentence]  
  
Hiraikotsu - Sango's huge as in H-U-G-E boomerang.  
  
Bouzou - means 'monk' [You know, this word kind of sounds like an unrespectful name for a monk, since Inuyasha uses this to call Miroku when he's pissed. And I remember Sha Gojyo calls Genjo Sanzo like this (Um.. Since they practically hate each other's guts though they're comrades)]  
  
Sukebe - the highest form of perversity  
  
Doushite - 'Why?'  
  
Hanyou - half-demon. You see I don't know if this analysis is right, but I think it came out from two words, 'hanbun' and 'youkai'. Hanbun means 'one-half' and youkai, well, as any Inuyasha or YuuYuu Hakusho fan would know, means 'demon.' Correct me if I'm wrong, okiedokie?  
  
Hai - um... yes [almost everyone knows this]  
  
Tasukete - help, more of calling for help. "Tasukete kudasai" means 'please help me.'  
  
Kohaku - in case you don't know, he's Sango's younger brother. His name means 'amber.'  
  
Iya - no  
  
Sonna - no way/impossible  
  
Kitsune - means 'fox.' In this case, it pertains to Kouga, who is sometimes called 'fox-boy.'  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
Hah! Finally done! First off, I want to say a huge gomen to all the people who read this fic... I was too lazy to update. And I almost lost hope on this. But since I'm getting a VCD of Inuyasha OAV 2 for Christmas, inspiration struck like lightning.  
  
I also want to apologize on what I made Kagura say earlier. You know, about how unbelievable it seems for one to get attracted to Sango...   
  
Miroku: Hey, I heard that... How dare you refer to Sango that way! *brings out an ofuda* Houriki!!!  
  
SnM: Kami-sama, kami-sama, kami-sama, kami-sama, kami-sama... *Holds buddha beads on the right and tries to shield herself from Miroku's houriki*  
  
Sango: Houshi-sama, I'm off to the hot springs. Please look over our provisions. *Walks in front of Miroku* *Stops and turns to Miroku* And NO PEEKING. *Walks away*  
  
Miroku: *Notices Sango and keeps his ofuda* Hot springs? *Unconsciously follows Sango*  
  
SnM: Whew! You see? The effect of a line... Actually I was hesitant to put it but then again for the sake of having villains... Well, Kagura's a villain and villains are destined to be hated by almost everyone... ALMOST. And to make up for it, I gave a hint of Kouga/Kagura for all their fans out there... Anyways, another gomen if the chapter is messy. You see I use my PDA in doing fics, and I tried hard to spellcheck this one, so please bear with me if you find errors here...  
  
Sango: *from afar* HENTAI!!! SUKEBE!!! I told you not to peek!!!  
  
Miroku: Demo... I can't resist looking at your body... *evades a rock then runs*  
  
Sango: YOU COME BACK HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!!  
  
Miroku: *stops running* Why Sango, I didn't know you wanted to take a bath with me that badly... *takes off his robes*  
  
Sango: *dumbstruck but realization sinks in* HENTAI!!! That's not what I meant!!!  
  
Miroku: But you said you wanted me to come back... *hurt expression* *Sango grabs Miroku by the collar and drags him towards her*  
  
Sango: I wanted to get back at you, not bathe with you! *doesn't notice a somewhat mysterious rock and trips, pulling Miroku towards her* AAAHHH!!  
  
Miroku: *falls on Sango's _ehem_* Mmph!  
  
Sango: *realizes their position* HENTAI!!! SUKEBE!!! *punches Miroku into oblivion*  
  
Miroku: *swirly-eyed* Aaahh... Towel... Sango... Chest... Heaven...  
  
Sango: *fumes* Argh!  
  
SnM: Ah, gomen for everything that went wrong in this chapter! I'm high on sugar!!! Merry Christmas to all!!! And also, forgive the LAME ending, I hated it too.  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	12. Juichi

Author's Rant:  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my stupid twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. Since I was bored to death waiting for reviews from my other story "Three to Tango," which my idiotic twin posted in the Inuyasha category, not in the Slam Dunk [I got her tied up for that!] I decided to give in to her desires - I should write an S/M fic. Please take this easy on me!  
  
I thank again those who reviewed. You don't know how much it means to me! *sobs*  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
SnM: And before I forget... This story's rating is going to be R from now on, due to the later chapters that will involve... Okay, have to shut up. Though, this chapter is only rated for Inu-chan's potty-mouth attitude.  
  
Inuyasha: Oi wench, what the fuck did you call me?  
  
SnM: INU-CHAN... Have any problem with that? *holds up rosary beads and points to Inuyasha's beads* S--  
  
Inuyasha: Yeah, yeah right. *walks away* *mumbles* Wench.  
  
SnM: *sighs* Inu-chan, sit.  
  
Inuyasha: *thwop*  
  
SnM: Mwahahahahaha! *evil, diabolical laugh* You should know better than to call me that! Kagome-chan, thanks for the beads! *background: Kagome gives two thumbs up* Now to torture Miroku...  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale ©Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
Teach Me How To Love By Shohoku no Miko  
  
Chapter Eleven: Juichi  
  
'The longer I delay this move, the longer will Sango stay this way... I should leave now...' Miroku stood up and held the rings of his shakujo to keep it from making any sort of noise.  
  
Glancing to check if someone is awake, he slowly made his way outside in silence. 'Now if Sango left without Kirara... She may have wanted time to be alone or went to take a bath, though that's impossible because she'd probably think I'd peek... But then... There's a possibility that she went to Toya by herself...'  
  
"You won't run away again, won't you?"  
  
Miroku stopped dead on his tracks as he looked up on the tree. A strand of Inuyasha's silver locks fell down from the tree he was sitting on, as if emphasizing his presence. Miroku opened his mouth to speak, but Inuyasha was first.  
  
"Can it, bouzou. You should know better that Kagome would come after you. Besides, she'd bug the crap out of me so I'd have to give in eventually... Damn that wench..." Inuyasha murmured the last remark.  
  
Miroku laughed. Inuyasha was always on his masochistic attitude. But however hard he attempts to hide it, he has a soft spot for his group.  
  
"Oi, what in the fucking hell are you laughing at?"'  
  
"Hm...? Nothing!" He smiled mischievously.  
  
"And besides, you wouldn't want Sango to become sad when she comes back." Inuyasha said, jumping down from the tree as if he finished a youkai with a flourish.  
  
"Relax, Inuyasha. I'm not going to run away. I'll be looking for Toya." Miroku dusted his robes after Inuyasha's flashy landing sent an ample amount of dirt on him. "Besides, leaving our group is the last thing on my mind."  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah right, bouzou. Like you can beat the living daylights out of that fucking guy."  
  
"Inuyasha! Miroku-sama!" Kagome ran out of the shack. "Sango-chan's missing!" She stopped in the middle of the two men conversing. She stared at the two, wondering why she didn't get any reaction from them. "Hey! Aren't you the least bit alarmed?" She turned to Miroku. "Aren't we even going to look for her?"  
  
"Wench, we already know that."  
  
"You do?" Kagome looked surprised.  
  
Miroku nodded.  
  
"Feh. You ningens are too weak to even notice." Inuyasha stated, as if matter-of-factly.  
  
Kagome went red. "If YOU are strong as you claim yourself to be, then WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME?!?" She shouted. "Why didn't you go after her?!"  
  
Miroku nodded. "Why so, Inuyasha?" He had to admit, he did want to ask that question a while ago, and he has to thank Kagome for that.  
  
Inuyasha could practically smell Miroku's determination as he exited that shack minutes ago. "Well," he started, "I was waiting for a certain bouzou to come into his senses and finally acknowledge his feelings."  
  
Kagome knew at once what Inuyasha was pointing out. But Miroku refused to admit. "Ah, didh't know you had it in you, Inuyasha. I mean, girls flock around me everywhere we go and I didn't know you considered others' feelings too." He finished his supposed to have been heartwarming speech with a knowing look at Inuyasha.  
  
Inuyasha knew what Miroku is leading to. He gave him a dirty look.  
  
"Aw, Miroku-sama, Inuyasha's not a monster..." Kagome pointed out, which earned her the attention of a certain hanyou. "I mean, he IS a hanyou, but he isn't a monster... I mean..." Kagome tried to explain further.  
  
"I perfectly understand you, Kagome-sama. Let's just hope Inuyasha here gets the message." Miroku grinned.  
  
"Feh." Came Inuyasha's witty reply, accompanied by his signature cross-arm position. "Stupid onna."  
  
"Well... Aren't WE going to start to LOOK for Sango-chan?" Kagome said pointedly, glancing at Miroku.  
  
"I suppose..." Miroku replied. "Let's get going, then."  
  
"Keh. About time..." Inuyasha huffed as he kicked some dirt. [a/n: Literally.]  
  
Kagome went inside the hut to retrieve their provisions as Miroku tightened the knots on his sandals. 'Who knows when I'll be able to buy myself another pair...'  
  
"What's going on?" Shippou asked drowsily, trudging behind Kagome as the miko carried her backpack, which, by the way, is smaller and lighter than before.  
  
"You don't know yet brat?" Inuyasha snickered. "And you call yourself a youkai..."  
  
Not a minute later Inuyasha had dust stuffed on his potty mouth as a shrill voice rang through the deep forest. [a/n: More like "Fukai Mori" by Do as Infinity... They sooo rock!]  
  
Kagome put her palms together and dusted them. "You know, I should have done that five times already!"  
  
"What the fuck did I do again, whore?"  
  
Kagome had veins popping out of her temples. "Want me to enumerate? One. You called me a wench. Two. For referring to us as 'weak, baka ningens.'"  
  
"I didn't say baka!" Inuyasha protested.  
  
"Hmmm... True, but it doesn't make it any less. Three. For not telling us that Sango went away... Even if you were waiting for Miroku-sama to come into his senses."  
  
Miroku cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm...?"  
  
She glanced at Miroku, then looked away at once. "Four. You called me a stupid onna. And five, for insulting poor Shippou-chan..." She patted Shippou and the kitsune-youkai grinned.  
  
"Oh, and six. You called me a whore!"  
  
"Cut the crap, wench! Your voice sounds like that of a wailing youkai's." Inuyasha 'Feh'd again and stomped off.  
  
"Ooooohhhh..." Kagome seethed.  
  
"Ano... What's happening? Why are we leaving?" Shippou asked again.  
  
'Calm down, calm down, calm down. You shouldn't mind his manners. He was born like that. He just--'  
  
"Oi wench, aren't we going yet?"  
  
It seems like Kagome's little 'pep talk' didn't work, for Inuyasha's figure cut six feet through the stinking soil.  
  
"Where are we going? What happened? Why am I being ignored? And where is Sango-chan?" Shippou asked, this time making sure he was heard.  
  
Miroku sighed. When will Inuyasha ever learn? "You see, Shippou, Sango-sama disappeared. And we're going to look for her. And you're not ignored because they really are just busy with each other. You see, Inuyasha here wants to dig his grave this early."  
  
"When we find her, will you tell her how you feel?" Shippou asked innocently. (?) Okay, let's make that HALF-innocently.  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome glanced at Shippou, then to Miroku.  
  
Miroku played dumb. "Ah, of course." He sighed. "Its been so long since I copped a feel on her."  
  
Inuyasha shook his head. Shippou sighed, Kirara just kind of sat there. But Kagome's hand remained in the air and Sango's handprint was replaced by hers.  
  
"Stop trying to cover up your feelings! You're pushing her away! You're being unfair..." Kagome shouted at him.  
  
Okay... That's a first...  
  
"I know what you feel towards her and you don't have to hide it or even run from it! Stop being a coward, Miroku! You're losing her!" Kagome ran away from him, with Shippou trailing her.  
  
Inuyasha, for once, didn't snicker or laugh at him as he had expected him to do. Instead, he treaded towards him, totally ignoring Kagome's scowl. "You know bouzou, I think she's right. If you're pushing her away then let me tell you that you're doing a nice job of it. Keh, stupid ningen feelings..." He walked away from him and towards Kagome, then positioned in front of her, obliging her to ride. And in an unusually calm voice, he spoke. "We must hurry and look for her before anything bad happens to her..."  
  
Kagome hopped on his back, smiling. "Aw, Inuyasha, so you do care for Sango- chan. That's so sweet of you..."  
  
Inuyasha tried hard to rescue his pride. "I don't! If we lose her we lose a fighter who could help us defeat that damn son of a bitch Naraku!" He yelled.  
  
"Really..." Kagome's voice was dripping with sardonity as she looked at Inuyasha knowingly.  
  
"What?!?" He snapped. "Or do you want us not to look for her?"  
  
Kagome sighed. "Okay, okay, let's just go, and fast so we can save her and prove that you do car--" Kagome was not able to finish her words as Inuyasha sped off at a velocity of 2014 miles per hour, following Sango's scent, towards Toya. [a/n: Yeah, I kind of made that up since our Physics teacher assigned us to create a problem on velocity on the spot. And jeez, even if Physics was the subject I couldn't get Inuyasha (the tv show, mind you) off of my head... So that's the product, with matching direction -- a vector quantity... Hehehehe! *sweatdrop*]  
  
Inuyasha smirked at his successful attempt of changing the mood by running off fast.  
  
Kirara transformed into her huge form and walked towards Miroku, stopping in front of him, looking him straight in the eye. Miroku looked like he was about to cry.  
  
He sighed. "Kirara, I know this sounds stupid, but. Gomen, for hurting your mistress' feelings." He patted Kirara on her head. He half-expected half- feared that the feline would growl at his actions or even jump at him for it.  
  
But he was so wrong. For what the feline did was to succumb into his hands. Guess Kirara took a liking in him, after all.  
  
"Oi, bouzou, you coming or not?"  
  
He smiled inwardly, as he climbed up of Kirara's back. "Hai, hai. Coming." He leaned into Kirara's ear. "Ikuso, Kirara. Let's look for our Sango, ne?"  
  
.tsuzuku.  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
Geh. Nothing much. I was just desperate to get this out, so that I'll get to upload a chapter and APOLOGIZE FOR MY GRAVE MISTAKE IN THE LAST CHAPTER. Geez, honestly, it was such a STUUUUUPID mistake! I knew all along that Kouga was a wolf, but I didn't know that I used "kitsune" there instead of "ookami!" (Argh, good grief!) You see, my PDA was always more INTELLIGENT than I am, that when I touch a letter accidentally, it sort of suggests a word and then. Argh! I just didn't know what happened back there! Thankies to those who pointed it out for me, and I really apologize for it. *sighs*  
  
Thanks again to those who reviewed and gave me hope for me to continue with this fic! I am sooo touched.  
  
Ah, before I sign off, gotta tell you all that I'm really in a good mood today because I just passed the entrance exams or my most-sought school! You see, I'm just a high school student, and I wanted to go to this certain college. And I did pass the exams! Weeeeee!!!!  
  
Gomen, I just wanted to shae it with all of you peeps. Oh well. A lot of flashback involved in the next chapter. And just to tell you folks, I didn't spellcheck this one, so I'm apologizing in advance.  
  
Kudos!  
  
Ja, mata ne!!!  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	13. Juni

Author's Rant:  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. And in memory of my twin who practically loooves the monk [We both harass monks, if you don't mind, since Genjo Sanzo and Uesugi Tatsuha and our dear Houshi-sama here are all of the same vocation], and for being in the dumps after my last update, I should continue to write this S/M fic.  
  
I thank again those who reviewed and stuck with the story. [Can you believe this fic is a year and a quarter old already?] You don't know how much your support meant to me when I read your reviews two months ago! *sobs*  
  
And yeah, since a reviewer told me that she has restrictions when it comes to the rating of the story, I decided to not make it R. I'll just have a bit of what I really was planning. Anyway, the descriptions are the only ones that make it R and even if I remove that part, it'd still be the same. And to make up for the long wait, I made this chapter extra longer than the others. I'm just hoping ff.net would not screw up with the real format of this chapter.  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
SnM: Okay peeps, gotta make up for the short and crappy chapter I posted previously. I was really ecstatic about certain results from certain universities I applied in and sure enough, the top three schools here in our country already released the results... And I passed! I passed the tests!  
  
Inuyasha: *comes barging in* Oi, what tests? Don't tell me you take the same stupid tests this one heck of a miko here does...  
  
Kagome: Heard that, Inuyasha!  
  
SnM:Ah, Inuyasha, Kagome-chan. So nice of you to join me again.  
  
Inuyasha: Keh. I was looking for the bouzou. Oi, bouzou!!! *shouts annoyingly*  
  
SnM: *sighs* Miroku? Uhm...  
  
Miroku: *enters the room with dreamy, swirly eyes* Hey, Inuyasha! Haven't you ever thought that I was meditating here?  
  
Inuyasha: Not like you have anything to think of except groping for Sango...  
  
SnM: Well, Inuyasha, you see...  
  
Sango: *enters the room as well with dishelved hair and holds something in hand* Miroku... You left your stack of ofuda in my roo-- *Notices Inuyasha, Kagome and Shohoku no Miko* Ah... *turns beet red*  
  
Miroku: Umm... I left it in your rogue pack? How did that happen?  
  
Sango: I don't know...  
  
Inuyasha, Kagome and SnM: Umm... Yeah... Right...  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale ©Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
XCS: This story is dedicated to a dear friend, FluffyLemonn [thanks for the e-shoulder] Also to my twin, MidoriTenshiSakura. Wherever you are...  
  
Teach Me How To Love  
  
By Shohoku no Miko  
  
Chapter Twelve: Juni  
  
Sango grunted for the umpteenth time. Even if her taiji-ya trainings taught her how to undo any kind of knot that existed in Sengoku Jidai, (well, at their time...) this one just wouldn't budge.  
  
"My dear, dear Sango... Even if you try slashing your wrists just to set them free, you can't." Toya walked in front of her and knelt down, his face looking up to hers as she turned her head sideways.  
  
"You see..." He roughly grabbed Sango's face by his hand, forcing her to face him. "I don't commit the same mistake TWICE. So sweat it..."  
  
Sango huffed. "Toya... You see, I am more than willing to die here if ever slitting my wrists would set me free. But then... I still have to avenge my tribe so I'd rather stay alive. And I know that Houshi-sama and the others will come for me. So relax, youkai. Your death will be sweet once I am freed of this binding. But for the meantime, let me congratulate you for capturing me." Sango spat at his face, unable to hold back her fury.  
  
Toya felt sticky liquid dripping from his cheeks. But instead of conveying the reaction Sango wanted him to, he smiled in satisfaction. Wiping his face using his sleeve, Toya drew Sango's face closer to his, inhaling her scent. "Coralberry... Sango... Just like a coral... A rough and strong exterior, but such a beauty..." He then placed his lips over hers roughly, concealing any sly speech she would have spat out.  
  
She can't believe it. This... youkai... kissing her... even licking her lips... Without her permission at that!!! Inside, she seethed with fury... 'How dare he...? When I get out of this... When Houshi-sama saves me... He'll rip you off into pieces and suck you into oblivion...! Just like the ojii-sama he's meant to be, saving his hime--'  
  
She froze. Where in the seven hells were her thoughts leading? And to think that her captor was trying to claim her... Almost smiling, Sango opened her mouth and began responding to Toya's kiss.  
  
Feeling her lips move, Toya grinned through the kiss. If there's anything he wanted in a mate, it would be boldness. 'And I have certainly made the right choice...' Opening his mouth over hers, his right hand trailed down as he fancied taking her right then and there. He vigorously cupped her bosoms and smashed it wildly, his other hand joining in the fun while he was still caught up in a lip lock.  
  
Unbeknownst to him, Sango's mind almost jumped in delight at what her 'response' did to him. Taking advantage of his current state of being drowned by erotic sensations, Sango opened her mouth, finally 'giving in' to his searching mouth.  
  
And then, she bit his lower lip. Not lovingly, mind you.  
  
Toya's lower lip began bleeding as soon as he released Sango. "Whore!!!" His right hand, which was currently situated on Sango's belly (with the intentions of going south) drew up and hit her cheek violently.  
  
But then again, she expected that to come. Grinning victoriously, Sango spat out straight at his face for the second time. "You thought for a moment there I'd give in, didn't you? Well let me tell you... I'll never give myself to you... Not now, not EVER!!!"  
  
Toya tasted his blood as it came out of the puncture. "BITCH!!!" He slapped her over and over again, not even noticing that tears slowly cascaded down Sango's cheeks.  
  
'Houshi-sama... Tasukete... Tasukete kudasai... Hayaku...' She felt more hot tears spilling from her cinnamon eyes as Toya forced open her kimono and started devouring her through her wrappings.  
  
*******  
  
'Houshi-sama... Tasukete... Tasukete kudasai... Hayaku...'  
  
Miroku's head snapped up, hearing a familiar voice. The voice was in pain, whispering as if it was facing something terrible... A strangely familiar female voice...  
  
"Sango!" Miroku gripped Kirara's fur tighter as realization dawned him. Closing his eyes, Miroku tried to find her ki. 'Focus, Miroku, focus...'  
  
After a few seconds of trying to locate her, his eyes flew open and looked forward to the west.  
  
And as if on cue, a faint red orange light glowed for a while then faded.  
  
"Kirara..."  
  
The feline growled and headed off towards west at her fastest rate ever since she was a cub.  
  
*******  
  
"WHAAAATTTTT????" Kagura screeched. "You can't be serious about this now!!!???"  
  
Naraku smiled. "You have to... Stay by the ookami prince's side before anyone could take hold of the shikon no kakeras to claim for them."  
  
'More like "I don't want to die just yet,"' Kagura thought. It may be that Naraku is currently her master, but she was never the submissive type. She growled inwardly, unfazed at what assignment this baboon pelted hanyou ordered her.  
  
"Why don't you send that stupid rat to that filthy thing instead..." Kagura scoffed towards the ningyo where the spirit of Toya was supposed to be. "You gave him shards after all. Three, to be exact."  
  
"He is a distraction, Kagura. A distraction for the inuhanyou to chase while I gather all the other shards. And with that hanyou's pent-up desire for Sango..." Naraku smirked.  
  
Kagura raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "But I thought you... Sango..." She did not get to finish what she wanted to say because a sudden twisting pain sprang in her chest, making it difficult to breathe.  
  
She fell on the ground in a heap, clutching her chest, making short and quick gasps in futile attempts of inhaling oxygen for her systems. She looked up from her place on the floor and saw the hands of the person she greatly despised, as if holding something.  
  
Naraku grinned mockingly at his younger detachment, loving the way her struggles seem useless. He saw Kagura's eyes widen and her face grow a pretty shade of blue or purple as realization dawned upon her.  
  
Kagura's anger flared as her gaze landed on the object -- rather, her HEART -- in the still tightening grip of the fused Onigumo and prince of a nearby town. Her only source of the scarce emotions she knew, the reason for her to continue following the baboon-pelted hanyou, her liberty...  
  
Naraku gave a menacing growl as he squeezed the fuuyoukai's heart one last time -- this time much longer -- then pricked one spot with his long claws before even releasing it.  
  
Kagura almost wanted to run to him and thank him for releasing her, but her looming hate for her master weighed more than that. For her, water is thicker than blood, and if given a chance, she would loathe the people who kept her preoccupied when she could have spent her first years in pure bliss.  
  
She was snapped into reality when Naraku spoke. "STAY WITH HIM. DO. YOU. UNDER. STAND ?!?!" He spoke, emphasizing his command by squeezing her heart with each word.  
  
Kagura knew better than to voice out her objections, so with a scowl, she flicked her fan, a sudden gust of wind flapping the fusumas. She plucked a feather from her hair and it grew big, just enough for her to ride, hastily but gracefully hopping on as she turned her back on Naraku. Through gritted teeth, she worded her compliance. "...Hai..." And with that, she flew towards the north.  
  
*******  
  
Sango still couldn't believe it. She lay there on the ground, her kimono torn and tattered sitting at the far corner of the cave. Her bindings were the only things keeping her dignity from the youkai.  
  
No, not a youkai. A hanyou. She realized that her captor was the prince of the fief her tribe once saved against a swarm of tanuki-youkais attacking the town. It was her first time exterminating, way back before she even saved Takeda-sama's village. She remembered it now. She had been just like Kohaku when Naraku summoned them.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
She was nervous, and often she would adjust her boomerang at her back. She did not ride on Kirara then, since her father wanted her to develop her stamina by sprinting from her village to the town they were supposed to protect. Besides, she often acquired diseases and allergies, so they trained her to be accustomed to everything.  
  
They arrived at the village at night, and exactly the time when the weasels started attacking. At once, her older comrades, together with her chichiue, charged at the demons.  
  
She marveled at the skills of the older taiji-yas, and she saw that even without her, they would be all right. She readjusted her Hiraikotsu and stood at the sidelines only, but never dropped her guard.  
  
That was when she heard a shrill voice cry for help. She cast a look at the ongoing battle and realized that all of them have their hands full. It is her duty to fight the youkais for the villagers, so she broke into a sprint towards the direction of the voice.  
  
She turned on a corner, and a sight before her almost made her gasp. There, in front of the village shrine, a two-headed weasel-youkai bit off the neck of a village elder, while the other head snarled at a woman embracing a boy, both regally-dressed. The woman was still screaming for help.  
  
The youkai's second head looked her way. She shivered, but hid it well. The other head turned and noticed her and as if on cue, the youkai lunged at her. She desperately defended herself using her katana, occasionally getting a hit in. She led the youkai towards the nearby forest as she leaped from branch to branch. Putting on her mask, she jumped as she threw poison bombs in the youkai's direction. Upon contact with the ground the bombs exploded and purple mist surrounded them. The youkai screamed in agony as the gas entered its eyes and inhaled the toxic substance.  
  
As the haze cleared, Sango reached for her boomerang. Aiming it at the youkai, she hesitated. Her aim was never accurate when she practiced, so she doubted that the weapon would finish the youkai once and for all.  
  
Sensing her doubts, the youkai grinned and staggered towards the clearing where the woman stood planted to the ground.  
  
She saw the woman's eyes widen behind the youkai as it sped up to attack her. Brushing away all her doubts, she positioned her Hiraikotsu and set her legs apart, forming a stance that could easily throw and catch the huge weapon.  
  
*Woooooshhh*  
  
Hiraikotsu was sent flying, and in one fluid motion, sliced the two-headed demon into half, splitting its body and two heads. The youkai dropped dead on the ground with a thud.  
  
Hiraikotsu hurled back to Sango and she caught it, skidding backwards. She fell on her knees, exhausted mainly because she was tense. The world was quickly dimming and she felt herself falling backwards. The last thing she saw was a little boy running to her before she passed out.  
  
She woke up to the sound of a porcelain tray being set down a little distance from where she was. Cracking an eye open, she took in her surroundings -- a white ceiling, a scroll hanging on the wall to her front, a low table with small figurines of some sort, a futon standing on the corner, more scrolls with intricate designs to her left and an elaborately carved noren. She looked to her right and noticed the shoji open, giving her a perfect view of the garden.  
  
"I see our savior is awake. I never thought I'd see your beautiful eyes open again." a soft voice to her left said.  
  
Startled, she glanced again to her left where she failed to notice a boy sitting. A woman then sat beside the boy. 'Ah, the woman from the encounter.'  
  
"Pardon my son's playful words. But I want to thank you for saving us. Especially my son. He's the only heir of our village." the woman smiled at her.  
  
"Hello, pretty. Moshimoto Toya desu. Domo arigato for saving my life. Yorusuke onegaishimasu!!!" the boy beamed at her.  
  
She felt herself blush. She was never used to compliments, more so coming from a boy. A boy of high rank, it seems.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
It would have been fun to reminisce about those first days of exterminating, but given her predicament and the impending danger...  
  
If only Houshi-sama could come sooner...  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
[this flashback was inspired by a fanart I saw in Kumo no Su, a shrine to Sango and Miroku. Visit the site, its awesome.]  
  
"Sango!" Miroku shouted over the storm, running where his instincts told him.  
  
She ran away again. But before she left him to his flirting, he received a very hefty beating from her Hiraikotsu and her delicate and strong hands, earning a lump on the head and several bruises and bluish purple patches on the forearms.  
  
He never expected her to act very violently, since he thought she was already used to his "shameless flirting," as she always puts it. But this time it did look like she overreacted.  
  
Does that mean she's jealous?  
  
A man can only hope.  
  
He sighed, inhaling the scent of the mud and the storm coming down on him. Kagome refused to talk to him about Sango's whereabouts, Inuyasha, as usual, acted like the jerk he was, rambling about how foolish the situation was.  
  
Shippou, on the other hand, had been very helpful, telling him, after a long silent treatment from Kagome. He told her that the taiji-ya just walked away after they ate dinner. She deliberately left Kirara and her weapons, telling them that she would be back after a while.  
  
But that was hours ago, and it was already past midnight. He was lucky he caught Shippou awake because of the storm, or else he would have sat there helplessly instead of venturing now to retrieve Sango, thanks to the vital information the kitsune gave him.  
  
He thought he heard a faint whimper to his left, and spun his head to the left and began walking towards the direction of the voice.  
  
A figure half-sat half-sprawled against the tree was what made Miroku stop from searching. He couldn't really see the face of the person, but was positive that it was a lady from the looks of it. He could sense a faint kenki from the figure. "Daijobu ka?" he shouted over the storm as he half-ran from his position.  
  
"...Go... Away..." The voice seemed weak and very familiar, which gave him all the more reasons to draw closer.  
  
"... Hou...shi...sa...ma--" The last syllable came soft and painful, as if strangled.  
  
Miroku's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of the auburn orbs staring at him almost sadly. And he knew that only one person could make his title sound so special even at the sight of death and agony. "Sango!!!"  
  
He saw Sango's body, soaking wet -- with blood?  
  
Indeed, Sango's right arm was bleeding, and from the looks of it, her other arm was bruised and her knees and legs scraped with wounds.  
  
She looked like she had battled a youkai. But his Sango was never one to depend on somebody to save her for she can fend for herself.  
  
On impulse, he grabbed her and pulled her towards him. "What happened...?"  
  
"I...left...Hiraikotsu...so I...had to...fight... Hid my kenki... But I killed... Got shard..." She struggled to say, but all her energy was quickly draining from her, and the rain wasn't helping at all.  
  
Sensing her drastically falling energy level [a/n: Does this sound like a trading card? Hope not...], he hugged her tighter, concentrating on transferring some of his strength to her as his serene mask contorted to an angry one, his eyes staring at nothing in particular.  
  
She didn't deserve this much pain. He knew. He knew she was upset over his antics that she went to have some time to sort out her feelings and clear her mind. But of all the time for the youkai to attack, this definitely wasn't the perfect one.  
  
It was his entire fault. His fault that Sango had to fight with a powerful youkai without any weapon. Sure, she was skillful, but because she left her weapons, add to her current state of mind, she had a hard time. His fault that she was too distracted to even sense a youki nearby, due to his horrible methods of getting some girl to bear his to-be-damned-if-Naraku-was-undefeated child.  
  
Stupid Naraku. Every misfortune they try to endure, every curse they suffer, every ill emotion they knew and felt, every heartache... It was all because of him.  
  
Under the raging storm, while giving his strength to the delicate and frail taiji-ya in his arms, he promised three things.  
  
He will not lead her on.  
  
He will protect her at all costs.  
  
And he really will kill Naraku to put Sango's heart at peace.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Miroku got down from Kirara the moment her paws hit the ground. He promised he will protect Sango at all costs, but what did he do? Sango already experienced too much pain; She was a jaded soul. He should have watched over her carefully instead of flirting around her [or other women for that matter].  
  
And now what happened? Her life was once again in great danger.  
  
'Kuso...' He cursed mentally as he no longer detected her ki. 'This is definitely not a good sign.'  
  
"Oi bouzou, I can hardly sniff her scent here. What did you come here for?" Inuyasha stopped just behind Kirara.  
  
"Inuyasha..." Kagome tugged at Inuyasha's haori.  
  
"What?" He snapped.  
  
"There's a shard... Three shards... In that cave." Kagome pointed the small opening on the mountain.  
  
Inuyasha smirked. "Feh. Another minion of Naraku to tear apart. I'm itching for a fight. Miroku, ikuso!"  
  
Inuyasha sprinted towards the cave when Miroku stopped him. "Kagome-sama, when Sango was taken away... The youkai had a shard, right?"  
  
Kagome pondered. "Well... Yes, yes I remember. It had two shards... One on each leg, just like Kouga-kun..."  
  
Inuyasha growled at the mention of the name. Kagome fought the urge to scratch his fluffy [!!!] ears.  
  
"... And I remember sensing a faint power from his chest... Maybe it was just my imagination… So probably…"  
  
Miroku's head shot up. "Sango… I sense her ki!"  
  
"So what are we waiting for here, c'mon!!!" Inuyasha, carrying Kagome, Miroku and Kirara headed to the dark cave.  
  
*******  
  
She didn't know how to face the insufferable jerk of a prince. Sure, Naraku thought it was just PEACHY, that merely staggering and crawling towards the ends of their territory would make her damsel in distress act believable. But no. Anyone who witnessed how a youkai -- or any other person for that matter -- killed almost half of the population of your tribe and had the guts to even use them against a former comrade would remember that...  
  
Kagura shook her head. Stupid Naraku. If it weren't for that grave sin she did, it would be easier to make a compromise.  
  
Hah. She walked towards the cave quietly, her grace never wavering. At this time of the night, maybe she could get a deal out of the ookami.  
  
"You think I wouldn't know you're here, wouldn't I? Have you forgotten my sense of smell?" A voice snarled at her from the dark.  
  
Kagura snorted. "I'm not stupid like you, ookami-boy."  
  
Kouga growled. "Here to kill the rest of my pack?"  
  
"If deemed necessary, yes." Kagura waltzed towards Kouga, fanning herself.  
  
"Leave before I tear you into pieces. Now."  
  
"Chill, Kouga-kun." Kagura teased, more of mocked as she flipped her fan close and placed it on Kouga's shoulder. "I need you to do something for me."  
  
"Why would I do something for you?" He snapped back.  
  
"Well for one, you might find it necessary to have an ally against the other interested parties in your territory. I mean, THEY are at an advantage when it comes to number --"  
  
"All because of you, bitch!" Kouga grabbed her fan and broke it into two, the other piece in Kagura's hand.  
  
Last straw.  
  
"Look! I didn't want to do it like this! I have no intentions of fighting with you now but if you're so stubborn then sorry for you!" Kagura opened her broken fan and sliced it through the air.  
  
Kouga smirked. Has she forgotten that her fan was broken?  
  
A slashing sound took Kouga by surprise, add to a dripping sensation on his left cheek.  
  
Kagura's eyes narrowed. "Thought it was that easy didn't you?"  
  
A growl from behind her reminded her of another presence.  
  
"Yo Kouga, ready to tear the bitch apart?"  
  
Kouga raised his hand. The last thing he needed was another person dipping his hands on this business. "Ginta, leave this to me."  
  
"But Kouga --"  
  
"Leave. NOW. And make sure you wake up nobody or else..." He left the threat hanging.  
  
Ginta shrugged. He knew that the youkai killed their kinsmen way back, but knowing Kouga, he wouldn't let that pass. So it would be much better to leave the matter to him.  
  
When Ginta left, Kouga's gaze went back to the fuuyoukai.  
  
Kagura was grinning maliciously. "Well, what a display of bravery. I must say I'm quite impressed. Too bad, the ookami prince is going to die because of stubbornness." She opened her trusty fan and readied for another attack.  
  
"What do you want in exchange of your 'services' then?" Kouga's right eyebrow shot up.  
  
Kagura's smile widened. "Should we settle this on a more comfortable place?"  
  
Kouga's eyes darted around their camp. Sensing that his pack was sleeping, he relaxed. "If you want to." He headed towards the cave in contemplation, with a smiling in satisfaction Kagura in tow.  
  
'He shouldn't turn his back on his enemy. But on the contrary...' Kagura followed him.  
  
*******  
  
The cave was dark, illuminated only by a small fire in the middle. A dark kenki prevailed in it.  
  
"Where could those shards be..." Kagome jumped down from Inuyasha's back but stayed an arms reach away from him.  
  
A slight rustle from their left got their senses and defenses kicked in as a figure clad distinctly familiar emerged from the shadows.  
  
"Sango!!!"  
  
Sango's gaze went to the said houshi.  
  
Miroku walked towards the taiji-ya.  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome watched the exchange. "There's something wrong in this situation..." Kagome murmured.  
  
A faint glint of metal in the dark caught Kagome's eye.  
  
"Miroku-sama!!!" She shouted.  
  
Miroku jolted out of trance due to Kagome's sudden outburst...  
  
... A second too late.  
  
Hurdling towards him was a dagger that looked awfully familiar.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Sango stared at the stall longingly, her face stoic but breaking. She was never good at hiding her emotions.  
  
Miroku stared at her from his place beside the gate. He did not want to leave yet; the place gave them all a well-needed break, save a night of battling a useless youkai made stronger thanks to Naraku.  
  
But it was worth it. For months they never even stopped for more than eight hours. Sometimes they even changed strategy, traveling at night and resting in the morning. But in the end they still preferred the conventional way, though Inuyasha would always express it by complaining how unfortunate he was to have 'weak baka ningens' for company.  
  
He was taken out of reverie when he heard Sango sigh for the umpteenth time before they started their journey.  
  
"What are you all waiting for? Naraku wouldn't wait for us!" came Inuyasha's irritated gruff.  
  
"Hai, hai, Inuyasha-SAMA." Kagome said jokingly while waving at the children.  
  
Miroku chose this moment to take the one step that separated him from Sango.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
Sango averted her gaze from the stall to his face then smiled. "N-nandemonai. Saa, iku yo." Then she turned and started to walk away from the town.  
  
Miroku looked at the shrine one last time before turning and walking away.  
  
They have reached around twenty miles [thanks to Inuyasha who willingly carried Kagome along the way and Kirara who flew with Miroku and Sango on her back] when they stopped for the night, and the day had been tiring and fruitless.  
  
"Look on the brighter side, Inuyasha. We have journeyed a good distance." Kagome reassured the pissed hanyou as she yawned. "Well I guess I should get some sleep then. You wouldn't want your good-only-for-shard-detecting burden get worked up, ne?" She winked at Inuyasha. "Oyasumi, minna." And she tucked herself to sleep, Shippou already ahead of her.  
  
He caught her rift and 'Feh'ed, though he knew, deep inside, that she was more than that.  
  
A little while later, everyone, save for a certain houshi, was asleep.  
  
Miroku moved from his lotus position leaning against a tree, and crawled silently beside the taiji-ya.  
  
Sango stirred, feeling a hand on her forearm. She opened her eyes and caught sight of purple and black robes in front of her.  
  
"Gomen, Sango. I must have woken you up." Miroku moved to get away.  
  
"I-iie... Do you... need something?" She stared up at him, searching his eyes.  
  
"Aa. I just wanted to check on you. You seem... distant after we set foot again this morning. Is something bothering you?" He settled himself in front of her, a serious mask replacing his usual playful façade.  
  
Sango propped up on her elbow and faced him. "It was nothing, Houshi-sama... Just something I saw..."  
  
"Care to enlighten me about that thing?" Miroku smiled a little.  
  
"Iie... It was nothing. It wouldn't be that important... Something I can't afford actually..."  
  
"Didn't you even do something to have it?"  
  
"I couldn't afford to spend money for it." She retorted as she sat up in front of him.  
  
"What wouldn't you give for it?" He prodded on.  
  
"... I don't know... It was something that was similar to what I had in our village... Something I dearly treasured..."  
  
"Would it make you happy if you got it back?"  
  
"Well... Yes, I suppose..." She drifted. Then she noticed the glint in his amethyst eyes. "What are you trying to do, Houshi-sama?" Her eyebrow raised, she continued. "I swear I will pummel you into oblivion if you lay your hand on any --"  
  
"Would you still pummel me if I got you this?" He raised a package parallel to his face, and dropped it on her lap as he placed his hand on her thigh. "Open it."  
  
Sango opened the package, wary of the hand on her thigh and the cursed hand busy toying with her hair.  
  
She gasped as she held in her hands the same object she'd been eyeing at the stall... A dagger that looked awfully like the dagger she left that fateful day.  
  
"Houshi-sama... How...?"  
  
Miroku tucked a stray lock to her ear. "Well... I have my ways..."  
  
"You STOLE it?!"  
  
Miroku feigned hurt. "Ah, you think so little of me Sango... I wouldn't resort to that."  
  
Her eyes narrowed. "But you do steal from those villagers."  
  
"Well..." Miroku began. "I wouldn't want to give some special person a stolen item now, would I?" Oops, a slip-up. He hoped she didn't notice that.  
  
"I-I..." Sango stuttered. She sighed. "A-Arigato, Houshi-sama..." Finally, she smiled.  
  
"Don't I get SOMETHING in return?" He asked.  
  
"Like what?" She seemed ready for the hands that would move to her butt for she narrowed her eyes, if it could get narrower.  
  
"Like...this..." He scooped Sango into his arms and inhaled her scent. "I need someone to stay with me tonight, in case it gets cold..."  
  
"Don't you dare slide those hands down..." She adjusted herself so that her back was against him. "But I have to admit, you're warm..."  
  
He chuckled lightly and moved himself, with Sango in his embrace, against the tree before he settled her head above hers. "And so are you..."  
  
Sango yawned as she placed the dagger on the cloth again. "Domo... Miroku..."  
  
He smirked at the name she called him before she drifted off.  
  
"You do have your ways, don't you, bouzou?" Inuyasha spoke a little while later.  
  
Miroku smiled. "Sometimes it is better to comfort the ones you love at every chance presented… Even if you know you wouldn't be there for them once they need you the most."   
  
"Feh." Came Inuyasha's normal reply. "Keep your word that you wouldn't hurt her." And with that, Inuyasha closed his eyes again.  
  
He sighed. "I can only hope I'd stay alive through this, Sango…"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
His reminiscence did him nothing as the dagger was flying towards him at top speed.  
  
...tsuzuku...  
  
Vocabulary:  
  
Sengoku Jidai - well, literally means "Age of Warring States" Probably everyone at the IY fandom knows this, as the real title of the anime is Inuyasha: Sengoku o Togi Zoushi, ne?  
  
Ojii-sama - prince  
  
Hime (sama) - princess  
  
Tasukete Kudasai - Please help me. Tasukete roughly means help.  
  
Hayaku - faster, quickly…  
  
Ki - power, aura… You get the picture  
  
Ookami - now for my error in a previous chapter… This means wolf, and Kouga (not Shippou, sorry for the confusion I made) is often called "ookami-boy"  
  
Kakera - means piece (If you listen to L'Arc~en~Ciel, their song "Pieces" had a line saying "Ah, watashi no kakera yo…" which is translated as "Ah, pieces of my body…") So when I used it, as in "Shikon no kakera", it means piece or a shard of the Shikon no Tama.   
  
Ningyo - doll  
  
Inuhanyou - "half dog demon", or in a more specific term, Inuyasha. (Hehehe)  
  
Fuuyoukai - wind demon (fuu is wind, another word for "Kaze") I used this to refer to Kagura  
  
Fusuma - a decorative rice paper used to cover windows (like a curtain made of rice paper)  
  
Tanuki-youkai - Weasel demon. If you watch RK, Kamiya Kaoru is called by Megumi as "Tanuki," for she is often illustrated to have weasel ears and tail. Megumi on the other hand, is the kitsune. Ohohohoho! *Megumi laugh*  
  
Takeda-sama - well, if you haven't watched the whole of the series or read the manga (which are both still ongoing), he's a prince who fell in love with Sango when she was young. They met him again and he wanted to marry our dear Sango-chan (ooh, Miroku was sooo jealous!!!) His full name is Takeda Kuranosuke. It wouldn't be too much of a spoiler now, would it? I mean, many stories referred to him too, and he was always the other guy who pined for Sango (save for some instances that it was Naraku, Hojo or an author-copyrighted character.)  
  
Chichiue - means father, the archaic version of otou-san and the more formal form of the not-so-respectful chichi.  
  
Futon - a mattress usually not left unfolded after using, some sort of bed without the headboard and the frame  
  
Noren - a three-paneled cloth hanging used when changing clothes  
  
Shoji - means door; requires a person to change footwear when entering  
  
Moshimoto [insert name here] desu - another way of introducing oneself, meaning "I am [insert name here]  
  
Yorusuke Onegaishimasu - I'm not quite sure of the spelling but it roughly means "Nice to meet you" but in truth it means "I put my life in your hands" (or something of that sort… I didn't really learn how to speak Japanese. I'm still planning though, now that I'm in college)  
  
Kenki - just like ki, it means power, aura, energy…  
  
Youki - its sort of the same as kenki/ki, but with the "you" as a prefix, it sort of means "youkai ki" which is not a good sign for it means evil energy (just like jaki)  
  
Haori - Inuyasha's upper clothing, fire-rat shirt or whatever they call it (I'm not familiar with the series at most, but only with the basic info)  
  
Baka - stuuupid  
  
Ningen - human  
  
Ikuso - let's go!  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
Well, that's to make up for the months I've been in the dumps. Though I could've posted this around last month, I was far too depressed. And then there's the whole modem-screwed-up thing. So I have to add what should have been in another chapter to give to you so you won't be too angry at me... Hehehe...  
  
So anyways, I hope you people are still with me. Gomen for all the errors I committed here.  
  
Ja, mata ne!!  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	14. Jusan

Author's Rant:  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. And in memory of my twin who practically loooves the monk [We both harass monks, if you don't mind, since Genjo Sanzo and Uesugi Tatsuha and our dear Houshi-sama here are all of the same vocation], and for being in the dumps after my last update, I should continue to write this S/M fic.  
  
I thank again those who reviewed and stuck with the story. [Can you believe this fic is a year and a quarter old already?] You don't know how much your support meant to me when I read your reviews two months ago! *sobs*  
  
And yeah, since a reviewer told me that she has restrictions when it comes to the rating of the story, I decided to not make it R. I'll just have a bit of what I really was planning. Anyway, the descriptions are the only ones that make it R and even if I remove that part, it'd still be the same. I'm just hoping ff.net would not screw up with the real format of this chapter.  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale ©Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
XCS: This story is dedicated to a dear friend, FluffyLemonn [thanks for the e-shoulder] Also to my twin, MidoriTenshiSakura. Wherever you are...  
  
Teach Me How To Love  
  
By Shohoku no Miko  
  
Chapter Thirteen: Jusan  
  
Sango thought she heard a faint voice call her name. She shot her head up, though throbbing with pain, looking at what seemed as a cave opening where light came from.  
  
Nobody came.  
  
There has got to be somebody out there that called my name, she thought. And with such familiarity, that someone has got to be a friend.  
  
And she dearly wished it was Houshi-sama.  
  
She turned over and began to crawl towards her pile of clothes and cautiously began putting her tattered but still useful clothes. Her whole body ached thanks to Toya's way of letting his interest for a mate show. Her forehead felt swollen with lumps, her arms full of cuts, deep punctures and abrasions, while she thought a rib on her lower right broke when he propelled her towards the wall. [a/n: This is why I wanted to increase the rating, since I wanted you all to know how caring the nuisance was.]  
  
All in all, she was beaten black and blue... Though on certain parts, it was purple.  
  
She brushed her apron clean and slowly began to stand up when she spotted a small shell sitting beside the place where her clothes were once placed.  
  
It was black, small and fragile-looking, and a light -- a very faint light -- was coming from it.  
  
"A shell...? And a black one at that..." She picked it up, wincing a little, and inspected it. She let it play around her palms. "The texture... it feels like... a coral..."  
  
She was startled when the once small shell grew to a size just fit for her hands. "That was queer..." She studied the item more and discovered what seemed like a crack. But she didn't fail to notice the light coming from the small opening of the shell.  
  
Out of curiosity, she pried the shell open, careful not to break it, and what she saw made her look more closely.  
  
She saw Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippou, Kirara, Houshi-sama and... herself?... in a cave... Inuyasha and Kagome were standing at the side, Shippou and Kirara as well, and Houshi-sama was walking towards her.  
  
Her eyes widened when she saw herself throw something at Miroku. And at once she knew what it was. The intricate handle, the gleam it made, the unnatural curves of the weapon...  
  
It was the dagger. The dagger that looked exactly what she had before.  
  
The dagger he gave her.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
She almost wanted to cry when Miroku handed her the cloth which held the dagger she'd been eyeing since they entered the shrine village. It really looked like the one she had back at their village, but the shine it possessed was not that of hers. And now here it was, handed before her. She felt like a kid being given a present that she pined for so long as her birthday present. "Houshi-sama... How...?"  
  
She almost shivered when he tucked a stray lock to her ear. "Well... I have my ways..."  
  
His ways? If it were his ways... Then that would mean... "You STOLE it?!"  
  
"Ah, you think so little of me Sango... I wouldn't resort to that."  
  
No! She didn't think that low of him. Its just that he always did this... Steal money or valuable things from the people they solicited to take them in, in exchange for warding off youkais, real or invented. So she voiced out her thoughts. "But you do steal from those villagers."  
  
"Well... I wouldn't want to give some special person a stolen item now, would I?"  
  
A special person? Does that mean she's special to him? "I-I..." not finding the right words, she sighed. "A-Arigato, Houshi-sama..."   
  
"Don't I get SOMETHING in return?"   
  
What kind of game is he playing now?!  
  
"Like what?" She readied herself for the grope, her fists balling and her eyes narrowing. He may be sweet at times, but that doesn't give him the right to grope her on every chance presented to him.  
  
"Like...this..." And the next thing she knew, she was snuggled against a strong pair of arms clad in a monk's robe. "I need someone to stay with me tonight, in case it gets cold..."  
  
She was wary of what he could do now that she was at groping range, but she was too tired to fight him off. So she decided to give him an empty threat instead. "Don't you dare slide those hands down..."  
  
But Kami, he was so warm! She felt comfortable at his embrace, that she wanted to snuggle closer. So she decided to turn and lean back against him to savor the warmth he provided. It felt like she was being held possessively by no less than him...   
  
"But I have to admit, you're warm..." She heard herself say. Where did that come from? Her cheeks were starting to feel hot.  
  
She heard him chuckle lightly and scoot towards a nearby tree, dragging her with him. 'He must be tired as well...'  
  
A weight on her head made her blush madly. "And so are you..."  
  
Maybe she was warm because she was blushing. Stupid blush. Now she really hates it whenever she remembers her chichiue calling her the ultimate blush indicator.  
  
Suppressing the blush, she opted to yawn as she placed the dagger on the cloth again. The dagger might accidentally hurt them if she left it there unwrapped. She was thankful for what he did for her... For making her feel so important. "Domo..."  
  
Should she say it...? But that would mean weakness...  
  
But what's the catch? Even Inuyasha calls him that...  
  
Oh well...  
  
"...Miroku..."  
  
It might be that this... moment they are cherishing now... or she was cherishing now... would only be temporary, but what mattered was that she felt important and loved...   
  
...Even only for the night...   
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Noticing the dagger was nearing him, her heart raced. No, this shouldn't be... So she did the only thing she can think of...  
  
"HOUSHI-SAMA!!!!!"  
  
*******  
  
"He wants me to keep watch over you so you wouldn't give the shikon no kakera to Kagome..."  
  
"And you want to get it after all the shards are with him? No chance, witch. I'd rather give this to my woman when the time comes. Go back to your master and tell him that."  
  
"Whoever wanted to be his minion anyway..."  
  
"You hate being his minion? Hah, that's a good joke there."  
  
"Fine. If you don't trust me that much then suffer the consequences of your decision..."  
  
"And you'd kill my pack again?"  
  
"I'm not here to slaughter yet. Just... Don't give him the shards, that's what matters. I have to wait for the time that Inuyasha's group or Sesshomaru would defeat him. Then I'd be free..."  
  
"What are you talking about? You're free. You have the power to kill even a hundred men and use them for your disgusting cause..."  
  
"That's what you think. Those things I did... They were orders from Naraku. But now that I know how it feels like to be free, I want my freedom. I don't want to be a puppet that twitches every time he wants to toy with my heart..."  
  
"Toy with your heart? I don't understand..."  
  
"He holds my heart in his hands. LITERALLY. He controls my life and makes me experience near-death pains whenever he chooses."  
  
"So in exchange for your freedom, for him to release you, you'll wait for everything to be settled, for anyone capable to kick his sorry ass, rather than work for him..."  
  
"Finally..."  
  
"How can I know that my pack can trust you not to kill us?"  
  
"I give you my word..."  
  
"And as proof... You should give me your fan."  
  
"My fan?!"  
  
"Don't worry, I'll return it when the need arises. You DID offer to help me shoo away those ambitious idiots eyeing my lands..."  
  
"..."  
  
"Well...?"  
  
"Fine! If it'd make you feel so great, and as long as you don't give up those shards..."  
  
"You have my word."  
  
Kouga could still remember their talk clearly. The fuuyoukai may have killed his kinsmen, but knowing his woman, Kagome, she'd wish that the world would go back to normal before Naraku even played with their lives. So maybe he could trust her.  
  
And besides, she gave up her fan in exchange for his not giving Naraku the shards on his feet and helping him preserve his territory. That may not be enough to compensate for the damages incurred by the youkai, but this will do for now.  
  
*******  
  
Miroku eyed the dagger that was heading towards him. If Kagome's shout sank in him a second earlier, he would have a great chance of evading the attack. But it didn't, so the only thing he could think of was to hold his arms out in front of him in defense. If he couldn't evade it, at least he could minimize the damage.  
  
"HOUSHI-SAMA!!!!!"  
  
A shout from Sango shook Kagome out of trance and her gaze immediately fell on her best friend, whose once lifeless eyes obtained shine as she called out.  
  
Inuyasha did the only thing he could think of: Jump and take Miroku out of the weapon's range.  
  
The dagger heading towards Miroku and Inuyasha stopped just in front of them and suddenly became aware of the law of universal gravitation, for it reached the ground as fast as it was sent into motion.  
  
*******  
  
She breathed heavily, her throat suddenly dry. Her heart just called out to him, and she can't control her impulse. The Houshi can't be hurt, SHOULDN'T be hurt.  
  
And there was nothing she could do about it. She -- well, herself in the shell -- had released it, and it was aimed directly at his heart. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what will happen. The thought alone twisted her guts for unknown reasons.  
  
She cracked an eye open and curiously peeped at the shell. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the dagger lying on the ground.  
  
"Yokatta ne..." she said to no one in particular. "I almost killed Houshi-sama..."  
  
"Pity you didn't..." A voice from behind her snarled.  
  
*******  
  
Still wide-eyed, Miroku wriggled out of Inuyasha's grasp and stared at Sango. She did blurt out his title, didn't she?  
  
"Sango-chan..." Kagome began.  
  
"Yokatta ne..." Sango suddenly spoke, her face weary.  
  
Miroku couldn't help but take steps closer to where the taiji-ya stood.  
  
"Keh, you should be thankful I appeared in front of it just in time-- OI NANDA YO!?!?!? Are you trying to kill yourself?" Inuyasha shouted at the bouzou.  
  
"Inuyasha... Sango-chan is slowly regaining power over her body!" Kagome gushed.  
  
"Sango..." Miroku began, but was cut off when...  
  
"I almost killed Houshi-sama..." She smiled slightly, more like due to relief. Her face suddenly darkened and she fell to her knees, grasping her wrists while her palms closed into a fist. "Wha--"  
  
"Sango-chan!" Kagome shrieked.  
  
Miroku ran towards her and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. What is happening with her? One moment she calls out to him and the next thing you know, she loses control. What in the seven hells IS happening to her?  
  
Tightening his grip, he shook her vigorously. "Sango! Sango!"   
  
  
  
*******  
  
She abruptly stood up, her head hitting Toya's lips that were still sore from the kiss... If one could call it a kiss, that is. Closing the shell in her palm, she readied herself for an attack and suddenly grabbed for her dagger that was tucked on her hips, but was slightly startled when she felt nothing but the string of the apron. "Wha--"  
  
"Have you forgotten that your physical self is there on that shell? Your weapons are not with you." Toya grabbed her wrist that had the clam in her grasp. "Give that back!!!"  
  
"No chance in hell..." Sango fought to remove her wrist from his grip, but was unsuccessful. His other hand moved to hold her hand, but she accicentally dropped the semi-damaged item.  
  
Upon colliding with the ground before her, the shell broke into pieces, the light concealed there spilling into the room.  
  
"NOOO!!!!" Toya shouted as a smoke from the shell became abundant and got the two of them surrounded.  
  
*******  
  
Miroku's vicegrip-like clamp on her shoulder didn't even make her flinch. 'She may be tough, but never numb...' He thought. He looked down on her hands, still struggling.  
  
That was when he noticed that her hands were covered with blood that was oozing from the wrists she was holding. After successfully prying it away, he saw four punctures on her wrist, forming an almost straight line. Marks that looked suspiciously like it was created by claws.  
  
His eyes widened when he saw bruises and cuts materialize on her arms, dried blood on her temple, abrasions on her head, and punches on her cheeks. He blinked, not believing what he just saw. But even if he did that, he opened it and the same sight greeted his vision, only her clothes were all dirty and could be considered rags.  
  
"No chance in hell..." She snarled, and she seemed to struggle to remove an invisible hand holding her wrists.  
  
"Sango! Mezamete! Mezamete!" Miroku shouted as he shook her violently.  
  
Her hand relaxed from its grip. Her body went limp and she became unconscious.  
  
Out of nowhere a crackling voice shouted. "NOOO!!!!"  
  
Miroku tried to get Sango into his embrace.  
  
"Miroku don't touch her!!!" Inuyasha shouted, catching his attention and jumping to grab him into safety for the second time.  
  
Kagome could sense impending danger. "Miroku-sama, I can sense the shards in her!!!"  
  
"What?!" Miroku looked at Kagome skeptically, then turned her gaze to Sango's unconscious body. "It's in her...?" He whispered, disbelieving.  
  
A cloud of purple smoke started to surround Sango. She was still unconscious, lying on the ground as the haze started to engulf her.  
  
"Sango!" Miroku started to run towards her, the smoke increasing in volume.  
  
But Inuyasha intercepted. "Don't be stupid! The smoke may be poisonous!"  
  
"All the more reasons for me to save her..." Miroku retorted, shoving the hanyou aside and running towards their fallen comrade.  
  
He abruptly stopped as a figure then materialized from the haze, kneeling beside Sango's body.  
  
...tsuzuku...  
  
Vocabulary: [I didn't use too much Jap here...]  
  
Nanda yo - it really varies in meaning, depending on the tone and situation. Nanda would mean what, but with the slight colloquiality [is that a word?], this means 'what is it.' but since its Inuyasha speaking, it means 'What the hell...' in an absurd way.  
  
Mezamete - it is actually a verb meaning awake or awaken but I don't know the form exactly. When Miroku said this, it meant 'wake up.'  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
Keh, nothing much. I don't even know if this should be considered as a chapter, but oh well. The last chapter and this one was supposed to be posted around last month but it was delayed due to a)my pocket PC stupidly did not synchronize with my desktop PC well, resulting to all my files being deleted, b)I got it ready to be posted but another misfortune occured because my modem malfunctioned so I was forced to return it to the manufacturer, c)I had my finals and fortunately I graduated high school, and d)a very saddening experience happened to me. Lots of reasons, yes but I know they're all valid.  
  
I'd like to say sorry for the delay of the chapters I promised, but I swear I am going to finish this before college starts. And I have a fanfic on the works, still dedicated to S/M, that'll be out around... Three chapters before this fic ends. Though this fic, temporarily called "Anything for You," maybe a bit mature in theme [no wonder their initials are S and M... Its an S&M thing going on between them! *cackles*], I do hope the same support would be given to it, just as how you people read AND review this one.  
  
Another sorry goes out to all of you if ever I offended anyone with my convictions and stupid imagination. I fear I might have gotten the same idea as a person out there has.  
  
A last sorry [for the chapter] if I committed mistakes here. To err is human, to discriminate is hanyou, to crave for blood is youkai, and to freak one out is ghost. ^_~  
  
Ja, mata ne!!!  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	15. Juyon

Author's Rant:  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. And in memory of my twin who practically loooves the monk [We both harass monks, if you don't mind, since Genjo Sanzo and Uesugi Tatsuha and our dear Houshi-sama here are all of the same vocation], and for being in the dumps after my last update, I should continue to write this S/M fic.  
  
I thank again those who reviewed and stuck with the story. [Can you believe this fic is a year and a quarter old already?] You don't know how much your support meant to me when I read your reviews two months ago! *sobs*  
  
And yeah, since a reviewer told me that she has restrictions when it comes to the rating of the story, I decided to not make it R. I'll just have a bit of what I really was planning. Anyway, the descriptions are the only ones that make it R and even if I remove that part, it'd still be the same. I'm just hoping ff.net would not screw up with the real format of this chapter.  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale ©Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
XCS: This story is dedicated to a dear friend, FluffyLemonn [thanks for the e-shoulder] Also to my twin, MidoriTenshiSakura. Wherever you are...  
  
Teach Me How To Love By Shohoku no Miko  
  
Chapter Fourteen: Juyon  
  
Sango could feel pain coursing through her body as she fell backwards. This couldn't be it. The smoke screen made her eyes water, while the stinging sensation on her wrists got worse with the haze. She couldn't breathe anymore, her throat and nostrils hurt too much.  
  
"You... Bitch!!! You'll die because of what you did!!!" She heard the faint voice of Toya accuse her. The nerve of that guy...  
  
She felt herself swimming on the edge of consciousness, her eyes fluttering close when all of a sudden, she heard a distinct, familiar voice calling to her.  
  
With all the strength she could muster, she struggled to stay her eyes open to see her Houshi-sama push Inuyasha aside and run towards her.  
  
The smoke screen thickened and covered her line of vision entirely before she succumbed to darkness.  
  
*******  
  
"Look at her... What an odd sense of clothing..."  
  
"Don't you know? She's the witch!!"  
  
"THE WITCH!?!"  
  
"Yes! And Kouga-kun made her our slave!"  
  
"Serves her right..."  
  
"She even surrendered her fan to him..."  
  
"... Oh..."  
  
Kagura's veins twitched with every word she heard from the villagers. How dare that boy spread false rumors!  
  
She entered the cave, storming in on an important meeting that was being held inside. "Ookami-boy!!!" She shouted, stomping her feet.  
  
The cave echoed with laughter, the acoustics betraying the suppressed giggles and snorts.  
  
Kouga's eyebrow twitched at the sound of her voice. In the middle of his meeting with his leaders and elders, she'd call him that?! Why oh why did he even agree with this exchange? He immediately cleared his throat, silencing the others.  
  
"It may be important to us that we finish this talk now, but let's say I have matters that need my IMMEDIATE attention." He glared at Kagura who stood at the side of his chair-like place on the other end of the cave which was away from the light. Her scarlet eyes were the only light contrasting the dark area. "After all, we have already laid out our plans... Let's just continue this when we are no longer BOTHERED."  
  
The elders and other group leaders laughed all the way out, while Kouga seethed with fury. When the cave was finally empty, save for the two of them, Kouga snapped.  
  
"Look! What's your problem huh?" Kouga pointed at Kagura with the fan she used which was still in his possession.  
  
Kagura smiled sarcastically. "Ah, so you still don't know? Your stupid pack keeps on talking about me badly! Who wouldn't be so worked up with that?"  
  
"Oh, so you come barging in on IMPORTANT matters just to tell me that you're the talk of the town? How desperate can you get, huh, Kagura?"  
  
"They're talking like I was being held a PRISONER!" She wailed, the bats residing in his cave suddenly 'eek'ed and flew out of the cave.  
  
Kouga sighed, exasperated. "And what do you want me to do, huh? Let you feast on them by killing them and turning them against me?"  
  
"You think so low of me. I am definitely NOT my master!" She screeched, shaking the cave. She didn't even stay to hear Kouga's retort for she immediately plucked a feather from her head and flew out of the cave and into the forest.  
  
"FINE!!! FLY AWAY!!!" Kouga shouted back as loud. "Don't think I'll go running after you..."  
  
*******  
  
Kagome rubbed her eyes for the twelfth time. This can't be happening. At first she thought it was the effect of the smoke. But it was already minutes after the haze cleared. No, she can't be mistaken. The eyes, the hair, the skin tone... She swore they were the same. If she hadn't looked on their clothes, she wouldn't distinguish who was the real one.  
  
There, on either sides of a still knocked out Sango stood two Mirokus -- one clad in clothes that of a monk, and the other of a royal samurai.  
  
Miroku's face revealed utter shock. This guy, up close or even at a distance, does look like him. Could Sango have been fooled by this man, causing her to react violently against him three days ago?  
  
Toya had a wry smile tugging at his lips the moment he saw Miroku. So maybe now he could see who deserves Sango.  
  
"Kaze no Kizu!!!"  
  
Miroku and Toya's head shot up towards the direction of the voice.  
  
As Inuyasha approached, Miroku held his staff against him, blocking his attack. Inuyasha's eyes were questioning him silently for what he did.  
  
And just as silent as Inuyasha questioned him, he gave him his answer.  
  
The exchange between the two best friends [though they don't admit it] didn't escape the miko's eye as Inuyasha set down his Tetsusaiga and jumped to Miroku's side. Inuyasha crouched down and gently carried Sango then jumped back to Kagome's side of the cave.  
  
"A pity you wouldn't live to see Sango's face smile again." Toya said breezily.  
  
Miroku immediately grabbed for an ofuda. "Unlucky for you, I must say, for I plan otherwise..." He jumped and caught him unguarded, sticking the ofuda on Toya's forehead. He smiled as he set his index and middle finger in front of him, his thumb protuding towards him, while he grinned for a split second before he said a short prayer.  
  
"HOURIKI!!!"  
  
*******  
  
"Kouga! Kouga! Our enemies have teamed up against us to claim our lands!!!"  
  
A shout from the outside jolted Kouga out of his contemplation. He suddenly stood up, grabbed his almost torn overcoat and warmers. "Of all the times... Shit!!!" He ran towards the cave's exit, but before he even went out, he turned around, picked up Kagura's fan, tucked it under his shirt and ran outside. 'Just in case we need her... Though I highly doubt that.'  
  
A woman of his kind suddenly approached him, screaming and shouting that her children were taken away by the youkais.  
  
He grew angry all the more. If there's one thing he wanted in battle, save for success, that is, is for the children's, women's and elderly's lives be not put at stake and endangered.  
  
He ran faster, overrunning his other comrades as he headed for the one who looked like the leader. "Surrender or die a disgusting death!" He threatened while nearing the place his enemy was glued to...  
  
... only to be propelled to the other side of the village. The very huge kitsune youkai slammed its claws into him and sent him to the wall, leaving drops of blood spilling on the soil his flying body was hovering at.  
  
He stood up, wiped the sweat mixed with blood that trickled down his face, and used the power of the shards to zoom in to the head of the conquerors. "You filthy beast! My land will never be yours nor it will be to your other allies!" He jumped up to the youkai's face and clawed its eyes.  
  
The youkai howled in agony, his right eye damaged more than the left, which led to blindness.  
  
"Its time..." The youkai calmly murmured, and as if on cue [or truly on cue], all the attacking forces of fox, weasel, snake and spider demons grew thrice their normal size and weilded what seemed like scythes that were tied to their waists a while ago.  
  
And at once, considering the population of his men and the invaders, he broke into a sprint towards the woods. He knew they were at the odds. And he had to do something...  
  
Even if it means swallowing his damn too-high pride. His pack was too precious to sacrifice in place of his ego.  
  
*******  
  
Toya wailed as a foreign, burning heat consumed his body, almost splitting his body and exploding in his lungs. Before his eyes, patches of light flickered alternately, his body trembling and sweating all over. The pain was tremendous as it never stopped assaulting his every nerve even for a second, and he felt as if his very soul was being separated from his body. He had never felt like this before, not even when the most feared youkai of their times inserted his 'precious and prized' possessions in his body, telling him he had faith in him to get rid of the houshi. And as it turned out, the houshi was much powerful than he had expected. The torture felt like it would last forever.  
  
That was when he realized and put into mind that his enemy was not an ordinary monk.  
  
*******  
  
Miroku smirked as he heard moans of discomfort escape the youkai's throat. He knew the pain was unbearable, especially for youkais and humans who carry evil in their hearts. And at this rate, he might be thinking that the pain would never end, when in fact it barely lasted a second. His ofudas were made to dispell the evil jaki in one's body, but he highly doubted that Toya would be defeated by such at once. With his impure intentions on his Sango -- HIS Sango -- and the three evil-oriented shikon no kakeras infused in his body, it will most likely be difficult...  
  
...but nonetheless necessary. This guy has to suffer a lot for making Sango suffer this much.  
  
It didn't faze him at all that Toya's face changed. He knew no two people could look alike in all aspects. Even Kagome-sama and Kikyo-sama had their differences. It was expected of this person that he was a shape-shifter, more so a face-shifter.  
  
Toya's green eyes flickered as it narrowed. His silver and black hair hung loosely up to his shoulders.  
  
"Do you envy me too much that you even copied my handsome face?" Miroku asked sarcastically, gripping his fists. "I pity you then, you seem uncontented with what the gods gave you..."  
  
Toya, on the other hand, scowled. "I need not copy you at all. It was simply a trick to lure her into confusion. And it seems your face only works for deception, like what you do to the rich villagers and to her heart." He paused as his left hand found the hilt of his batou and used his thumb to slightly dismount the protuding handle. "I would have preferred to use my own features, they were surely far off from yours..." He touched his hair and straightened it with his hands. "Though I have to admit, I couldn't have done it better, thank you for your features, monk. It is just sad, that even if you came to her rescue I highly doubt she'd still trust you after this... IF you survive, that is." He ended his speech with a wicked smile, his hand gripping the now sheated sword.  
  
"Playtime's up, hanyou." Miroku's prayer beads clanked as it made contact with the lower part of his shakujou, holding it out in front of him. His last ounce of patience was already pushed to the limit. His enemy may have a sword with him, but he could very well put up and defend himself against it. For if he did not defeat this guy, Sango would all the more be frustrated at him.  
  
*******  
  
Kagome almost wanted to bop the two in the head. They were not even fighting yet! As much as a pacifist she wanted herself to be, this all-talk- no-fight scene before her made her want to run towards them, put on a vertical black and white striped shirt and preside over the fight.  
  
They were getting at nothing! It would have been better if it was Inuyasha there, since for sure Inuyasha wouldn't waste time to kill the hanyou. But no. Miroku's antics and virtues should be blamed for this. His reserve, patience and sarcasm were holding the fight off.  
  
And worse, she had to tolerate the conceited jerks' self-proclaimed beauty speeches! Miroku, the perverted narcissist and this Toya, the effeminate narcissist. Oooh, what guts they have!  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
Inuyasha's tug on her sleeve took her out of stupor. "What?" She snapped, obviously the two's weird way of clashing getting the better off of her.  
  
"WHAT?! That's all you can say after I got Sango from between them?" Inuyasha bellowed, trying his best not to look at Sango.  
  
He noticed when he picked her up and carried her to safety tnat her clothes were all tattered and did little to cover her up. So immediately he held her closer and averted his eyes. If Kagome and Sango found out and suspected him of getting Miroku-like at the situation, he'd get a hundred sitting sessions and several dents on his skull care of Hiraikotsu.  
  
And when he thought that the moment he'd land beside Kagome she'd look at Sango's wounds and injuries at once, he found her staring off at the two. It was even him who called her attention!  
  
Kagome was quick to recover anyway and reached out for her bag, looking for medicine. Inuyasha courteously dropped his fire-rat haori on Sango while Shippou produced fire to give Kagome some light. Kirara nuzzled her owner's hair and mewed. Kagome then began to dress Sango's wounds. They can't be harmed anyway, the only evil presence around was that of Toya. And besides, Inuyasha was there. So she focused on cleaning her best friend's dirty and bruised body.  
  
A sound of brass against metal told her that the bragging has stopped, and the battle commenced.  
  
...tsuzuku...  
  
Vocabulary:  
  
Miko - a priestess [duh.] -_-  
  
Kaze no Kizu - no, not kiss of the wind. It is Inuyasha's attack, which is called "Wind Scar."  
  
Houriki - Miroku's attack using a little paper called ofuda infused with holy power.  
  
Haori - Inuyasha's top which doesn't catch fire.  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
Yeah, not much just like before. I wanted to say sorry for the errors here, just like I always do.  
  
And also, if you're wondering why Kouga was so formal and proper, I have just the reason. I was under the impression that princes, human and youkai alike, know how to deal with elders and diplomats when it came to territories and defense and all matters they should concern themselves with, however gruff-looking and immature they sometimes are portrayed. And as shown, his resolve didn't last too much as it already faded the moment his leaders left the cave. So I firmly believe he wasn't OOC.  
  
Don't you all agree that dear Houshi-sama is a narcissist? Even for a little? I mean, he IS aware of his charms... At first I was hesitant; I do find him very down to earth. But when they feel violated of some sort... Geez, talk about male ego...  
  
So that wraps up this chapter. Hope you all liked it.  
  
Ja, mata ne!!!  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


	16. Jugo

Author's Rant:  
  
Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! I just decided to try out this pairing, since my twin was insisting I do something of this pairing. Hai, minna. This is Sango and Miroku. Of course, I find them really cute together! I think they are meant for each other! But... As far as I am concerned, I haven't tried anything of this. And in memory of my twin who practically loooves the monk [We both harass monks, if you don't mind, since Genjo Sanzo and Uesugi Tatsuha and our dear Houshi-sama here are all of the same vocation], and for being in the dumps after my last update, I should continue to write this S/M fic.  
  
I thank again those who reviewed and stuck with the story. [Can you believe this fic is a year and a quarter old already?] You don't know how much your support meant to me when I read your reviews two months ago! *sobs*  
  
And yeah, since a reviewer told me that she has restrictions when it comes to the rating of the story, I decided to not make it R. I'll just have a bit of what I really was planning. Anyway, the descriptions are the only ones that make it R and even if I remove that part, it'd still be the same. I'm just hoping ff.net would not screw up with the real format of this chapter.  
  
Oh, and an anonymous review caught my eye and yes, I was quite impressed that you still noticed that. You see to tell you all honestly, I haven't really watched and read everything Inuyasha and there were some episodes (from the scarce 50 episodes shown here) that I still missed -- and one of those is my precious Houshi-sama's first appearance. So if it makes or qualifies as an excuse... when I wrote this fic one and a half year ago (almost), I didn't really know too much of them. All I know is that they're canon, they really look good together, and that there is undeniable chemistry between them. (C'mon, don't tell me you honestly don't believe the saying "the more you hate the more you love," right?") Am am gravely sorry for all the errors I committed in the previous chapters...  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale ©Takahashi Rumiko.  
  
XCS: This story is dedicated to a dear friend, FluffyLemonn [thanks for the e-shoulder] Also to my twin, MidoriTenshiSakura. Wherever you are...  
  
Teach Me How To Love By Shohoku no Miko  
  
Chapter Fifteen: Jugo  
  
Miroku could feel his sweat rolling down from his bangs. Although he never underestimated an enemy ever since he knew how to fight, this one was tougher than he thought! His sword skills were that of an assasin's. The way he used both the sword and the hilt gave him little time to form an offensive attack. And this guy surely was also instructed by a ninja. His graceful yet firm and strong moves together with his balance, undeniably fast reflexes and hidden weapons indicated such.  
  
Or was it only due to the shards implanted on him?  
  
"Getting tired, monk?" Toya smiled mockingly.  
  
Miroku then found an opening at his side and he stabbed the end of his staff on his gut. "Not yet even burning up, imposter."  
  
Toya let out a terrible cry of pain as he stepped back, clutching his stomach as Miroku advanced at him. Sensing another attack, he thrust his sword forward.  
  
Miroku reacted as fast as he could and barely avoided the edge of the sword. As a result he was slashed on his left forearm. He hissed at the aching sensation, but managed to hit him again, this time on the hollow of his neck, and pushed him against the wall.  
  
He sized up the guy he pinned towards the wall and thrust his staff deeper on his throat, severing the airway of Toya.  
  
"Give us the shards if you prefer to live, Toya." He said.  
  
"Not a chance, monk!" Toya quickly slashed Miroku on his right forearm then jumped away from him once his grip loosened a bit. "It's not that easy!"  
  
Inuyasha tensed as he saw the samurai-ninja guy jump away from Miroku and towards them. He held the Tetsusaiga in front of him and moved in front of Kagome and a now bandaged Sango. "Don't you dare touch them or I'll use the Kaze no Kizu on you!" He growled.  
  
"You better not, for we're not yet done, Toya." Miroku spoke as he struggled to stand straight.  
  
*******  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Kouga growled. He knew talking to her would really be a tough one, but hell, this business is far more important than the tantrums she'd been throwing!  
  
"Look. I didn't spread those gossips about you being my slave, okay?" He shifted from his stance in impatience. "... Just... Let's go back and..."  
  
"And...?" Kagura taunted.  
  
Kouga was already at the verge of throwing up. "What... Fine! I'll tell them you are not my slave! Now get down here and let's go back already!" He shouted then looked away as he whispered "...my tribe's in trouble..."  
  
But for the fuuyoukai the whispered words were like bells ringing, announcing her victory. "Oh, you mean you WANT me back so I'd help chase the intruders away now, don't you?"  
  
Kouga's composure almost crashed but he contained his emotions. If being mocked by this... this... woman would get her lazy ass moving then so be it. After the battle, they'd all get over it eventually... He breathed before he spoke. "Yes. Now we have to go back and save my tribe so I'd still have a reason to keep the shards..."  
  
And there's always another chance to humiliate, bicker and play with her.  
  
"Ah, a different side, I see. Now say please or I'll just sit here and watch another slaughter." She raised a knowing eyebrow, taunting him and indicating her enjoyment.  
  
"And you'll just be happy about it, right? A whole army out of the way. Very easy to predict." He snapped, not realizing the shooting accusations he just said.  
  
Kagura's smirk turned to a grim smile as she rolled the feather on her hands. "Really now, ookami. Have it your way then. I could always get the shards..."  
  
Kouga realized the mistake he made. 'Kuso!' He thought, as he saw the only chance of surviving and retaining their position in the youkai caste system crumble in front of him... Well, aside from transforming...  
  
Damn pride... If only he was taught the art of persuasion and NOT torturing and threatening. "Okay, okay! I'll tell them you are not my slave, treat you as one of us AND return your fan!" He almost threw his hands up in exasperation. "Just..." He hesitated. Why was it so difficult to say? "... Please..." He finally got himself to say, though forced.  
  
"Oh... So where's my fan, huh?"  
  
Kouga looked at her warily and brought out the fan from his clothing. "Here." He sent it flying towards her as she catched it and inspected it. "I didn't do anything with that, Kagura. I'm a prince with a word. What do you think of me?"  
  
She smiled smugly and tested her fan by swishing it against the wind. "Still the same, I see. Though damaged a little... But still good." Kagura stood up on the thick branch she was sitting at, jumped and transformed her feather into a big one and hovered above the ground. She flicked her fan and in an instant, a gust of wind lifted Kouga from the ground.  
  
Kouga on the other hand was surprised when he was abruptly lifted in the air and deposited on Kagura's feather. "Kagura, what the --"  
  
"What? You don't want to get there at once? Your tribe's in danger, right?" She answered him and the wind picked up and took them to the northern valley.  
  
*******  
  
Little by little, Sango could decipher what was happening to her. Kagome was dressing up her wounds, Shippou sat beside her and used his magic to help give some light to what Kagome was doing, and Kirara was patiently waiting for her to become conscious.  
  
"That bouzou should have defeated that hanyou by now... Damn!" Inuyasha muttered and cursed under his breath.  
  
"Inuyasha, Miroku-sama is trying his best, okay? Just... It's his fight... I know you wouldn't want anyone meddling with yours... He'll defeat Toya. Though I pray he finishes him now..." Kagome answered.  
  
The exchange was heard by the now conscious Sango who didn't pry her eyes open yet. She wanted to say something too, and she also wanted to battle with the enemy...  
  
She tried lifting her hand but the aching sensation on her finger joints just made her hands twitch.  
  
"Kagome-chan, Sango-chan is moving!" Shippou exclaimed.  
  
"Sango-chan!" Kagome smiled at her, greeting her vision as her eyes adjusted to the light.  
  
"K-Kagome-chan... Shippou-chan..." She responded as she felt the other girl embrace her. A nuzzle on her arm told her that her pet Kirara was also there, and noticed her awareness. "Kirara..." The feline responded by rubbing its head against the back of her hand.  
  
"You've been gone for a week, you know." Inuyasha glanced at her.  
  
"Inuyasha..."  
  
She turned her head to the side and noticed a battle going on. Miroku had a gash from his inner forearm to his wrist and a damage on his glove. Blood was also oozing out from a wound on his stomach and he was a little careful with his right foot. On the other hand, his enemy -- who she now recognizes as the Toya she met when she was younger -- had burns on his body and stabs on his limbs and torso. His sword was held out before him and blood was dripping from its edge.  
  
"Hou...shi...sama..." She mumbled as she tried her best to stand, but a restraining hand kept her from doing so.  
  
"Have faith, Sango-chan. Miroku-sama will defeat him for you." Kagome reassured as she once again was pulled into unconsciousness.  
  
*******  
  
Kouga didn't know what to feel. Sure, he was happy his tribe was unharmed and his territory was safe, but he still can't believe that Kagura would willingly defend them against their enemies. And worse, he still has to settle the rumor she was so irritated and affected about. Hah, the youkai could have killed them the moment she heard the words, but no. She just stormed in on his cave and told him of it.  
  
"Kouga, can I talk to you for a sec?" Ginta tapped his shoulder as he stood in front of his cave while watching his pack go about their lives in the light of the early morning.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Why did that youkai help us?" Ginta asked, his gaze pointing at the elegant woman sitting regally on a rock around thirty meters from them. "I hope you haven't forgotten that she slew our fellow wolves."  
  
"It was her end of the bargain, Ginta." He responded. "Kagura and I had talked about this."  
  
"I don't know about this, Kouga." Ginta whispered as he saw Kagura glance at them.  
  
"Don't worry, she's my responsibility." He reassured. Ginta merely shrugged and went back to work.  
  
He went back inside his cave and removed his leg warmers, pleased that the territory that his forefathers have preserved were still theirs. He sat and rested his head against the wall and spreaded his arms on the rocks strategically arranged to allow him to place them on either sides level with his shoulders. He savored the sheep skin he used as a sort of seat cover. He could have his rest now...  
  
"I'm your responsibility, huh? Should I applaud you for that?" Kagura taunted as she leaned on the side of the cave entrance, fanning herself.  
  
"You were eavesdropping, then. I never thought of you as such." He retorted without opening his eyes.  
  
Kagura scoffed. "Have you forgotten? I am the wind." She walked in and sat on the huge throne-like chair Kouga was sitting at. "And I did do my end of the bargain... Now where's yours?"  
  
He sighed as he again opened his eyes, surprised that Kagura actually sat beside him. "Kagura, its early in the morning..."  
  
"So?"  
  
"You could at least let them do their chores first before that." He retorted.  
  
"And that just gives them time to gossip more about me, right." She faced him, her scarlet gaze determined and fiery.  
  
"Look. If you can't wait for the pack to come together this evening then suit yourself. You'll just tire yourself..." He answered, his blue eyes unwavering and icy.  
  
"... Fine! As long as you do keep your word!"  
  
Kouga smirked. "I'm a prince, not a barbarian."  
  
Kagura's eyes narrowed. "Are you INSINUATING something, ookami-boy?"  
  
"Am I... Majo? Do tell me..."  
  
"Well for one, Mr. I'm-a-prince-I-give-my-word, you are trying to insult me. Another thing, OOKAMI-BOY, You --"  
  
"An old married couple! An old married couple!" A cub sung loudly from the other end of the cave, stepping into the light as Kouga ran his hand through his hair in irritation.  
  
He spun his head to look for the owner of the voice but suddenly felt a tug on his hair. He turned around.  
  
"Boo!"  
  
Kouga rolled his eyes at the cub, but can't help but smile at the naughtiness and mischief in him. "Early today, Haru?" He ruffled the cub's hair.  
  
"I can't wait to go hunting today! Hunting! Hunting!" Haru exclaimed, jumping to occupy the space between Kouga and Kagura. The boy looked up at Kagura. "Is she your wife?"  
  
Kouga almost doubled over at the question. "Haru, she's--"  
  
"I am NOT his wife, boy. I'm --" She seethed at the innocence of the question. She knew that children were really inquisitive (well, save for her sister), but she can't help it!  
  
"She's Kagura, my friend." Kouga finished as he looked Kagura straight in the eye, showing no pretensions and offering sincerity. "Haru, this is Miss Kagura. She's going to stay with us for a while." Kouga didn't really know what to tell him. The kid might get traumatized at the knowledge of her merciless slaughter and the queer symbiotic relationship they have.  
  
"Friend?" Haru questioned. "But my kaa-san told me that she is the wit--"  
  
Kouga intercepted what he knew could send Kagura over the edge. She might be restraining herself now, but he knew that with that word, she'll forget that Haru was only a child... That is, if she had emotions... "Haru, Miss Kagura is not a... a..." Should he say it?  
  
"Witch?" Haru finished.  
  
Kouga almost wanted to throw his hands in the air in exasperation. At the same time, he admired the honesty of children. "... Yes... She's our friend. Did you know that she was the one who got you from the huge spider that wanted to eat you?" He asked, his voice animatedly changing with the gesture in his hands that wriggled.  
  
"She did?" Haru asked.  
  
"I did?" Kagura asked herself. She did help the men in killing the other youkai, but was she the one who did the rescue? 'I thought Kouga did that...'  
  
"You DID, Miss Kagura... Have you forgotten?" He looked at her meaningfully.  
  
"I did?" An inquiring eyebrow shot up. His eyes told her to follow her lead. "Ah, yes... The big spider was very hungry when he caught you..."  
  
"Thank you, Miss Kagura!" Haru smiled up at her.  
  
"Sure, no problem, boy." She smiled back and ruffled the boy's hair, imitating what Kouga did earlier. Somehow, she felt good when the boy thanked her. And worse, she felt really appreciated when Kouga referred to her as a friend... HIS friend... She was never allowed to feel such...  
  
Haru ran out of the cave and into the light, leaving the two inside. The moment the cub left, Kagura narrowed her eyes. "WHAT was THAT?" She asked.  
  
"You should thank me, Kagura. Almost everyone in town believes that young cub. You were lucky." He grinned cockily. "I INTEND to keep my end of the bargain." He rested his head on the rock again. "Bet you liked being called my wife, huh?"  
  
Kagura turned red with fury. "You... You insufferable jerk!"  
  
"Thank you." He smiled at her.  
  
"Ooh... I hate you! I wish you'd vanish into thin air!"  
  
"Be careful what you wish for, Kagura."  
  
"You bet I will!"  
  
"Yeah, whatever. Now give me a break, I'm really sleepy." Kouga yawned a huge bear-yawn. "And I trust you to not do anything fishy, Kagura. I kept my part of the bargain, and I still intend to do so." He repeated before he closed his eyes. For some unknown reason, he was confident that Kagura wouldn't do anything. He knew her secret, and he already did his part. All they needed to do was to keep up with the symbiotic relationship and wait for everything to turn back into normal, and they'd be able to live their lives again.  
  
What he didn't see was the sincere smile that crept on Kagura's usually cold and proud features as she walked to the other side of the cave, where she was given a makeshift bed. This was the first time she felt that she was really treated AND given respect without even terrorizing, scaring or threatening anyone. And that was even after she killed almost half of his pack!  
  
Maybe it was only because they had a deal. A deal that gave them both the advantage without even exerting too much effort. Well, maybe, out of the way and against her master's wishes, but still, she knew that what she was doing right now is what will lead her to her freedom in the future.  
  
She laid down slowly, being careful not to crease her precious kimono and slightly elevating her head so as to not disarrange her hair. Sleep was calling her; and she had no intention of sneaking out of the bargain.  
  
*******  
  
In the end, Inuyasha knocked down Toya with his signature Kaze no Kizu, finishing the fight. Miroku was badly injured and his shakujou wasn't the best weapon to damage a person, more so open the flesh and get the shards. But on the other hand, Toya could barely move a muscle and could no longer even say a comprehesible word.  
  
His body transformed into ashes as the shards dropped down from the air, the only three particles left of a once living youkai... or hanyou...  
  
Kagome picked up the shards and began purifying them before placing them on her vial. Inuyasha, on the other hand, shook the dark red stain on his Tetsusaiga and sheathed it.  
  
"Thank you, Inuyasha." A bruised and battered Miroku sitting on a rock beside Sango's unconscious form finally said.  
  
"Keh. Could've done that sooner... Though you did a great job on that imposter." Inuyasha walked towards a kneeling Kagome. "Are you done yet?"  
  
"Just a sec... There." She stood up and faced Inuyasha. "Were you hurt?"  
  
"Gah! I'm not that weak!" He retorted. But deep inside he knew that this was her way of showing concern.  
  
"Inuyasha..." Kagome reprimanded, averting her eyes towards the other members of their group. "Miroku-sama, gomen ne, can you still stand?"  
  
"Ah, thank you for your concern, but I'd rather that you look for Sango- sama's welfare than mine. A little rest will do..." He inhaled sharply at a stinging sensation on his side got his attention.  
  
"You're hurt, I can tell. Sango-chan's wounds have already been dressed. It's your turn now..." Kagome grabbed her pack and ordered Miroku to remove his outer robes.  
  
"Oi, Kagome. Let's do that in Kaede-baabaa's hut." Inuyasha stood on her side.  
  
"Ah, Inuyasha. Sango-sama is not that fit for travel yet, so I suggest we take advantage of this cave to serve as our camp for a few days." Miroku replied calmly, ignoring the painful medicine Kagome sprinkled on his shoulder.  
  
"A few days?" Inuyasha complained.  
  
"A FEW DAYS, Inuyasha. We can't risk Sango-chan's and Miroku-sama's health by letting them be transported around." Kagome stopped attending at Miroku's wounds to look up at Inuyasha. "Besides, we got three shards. Three shards, Inuyasha. And we've so far accumulated more than half of the Shikon no Tama." She smiled, confident that she'll convince the hanyou. "Please...?" She added, giving him a smile that she knew he can't resist.  
  
Indignant, Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked away. "Feh." He retorted as he walked towards the other end of the cave.  
  
Kagome's smile broadened at Inuyasha's response. That was his usual attitude when he gives in. She turned back to Miroku who fell asleep sitting and began dressing his wounds.  
  
Shippou sat beside Kagome and began assisting her. After a long silence, the kitsune spoke. "Funny, it was always Sango-chan who dressed his wounds after battle, or the other way around..."  
  
"Well..." Kagome began. "... It may be like that, but that's a different situation, ne?" She placed a gauze on the puncture on Miroku's shoulder before putting on some bandage. "And this time, Miroku-sama saved her when she no longer knew what she was doing..."  
  
"Yeah..." Shippou agreed as he handed her the cloth she used for dabbing the medicine. "He risked his life for her..."  
  
"You know Shippou, you're more than the kid that I know." Kagome smiled. "Is that the effect of hanging out with us too much?"  
  
*******  
  
Naraku saw his ningyo split into half. This wasn't going on as he planned! 'But that was good riddance anyway...' He thought smugly as he crushed the wooden doll.  
  
*******  
  
Kagura awoke to the smell of burning meat and chatter. She blinked her eyes and began to stand up as the cold surface her feet hit suddenly registered that she wasn't in her room in Naraku's castle.  
  
"So the sleeping beauty has awakened, huh? O-sou-yo, Kagura-SAMA." Kouga smirked as he looked down on her.  
  
Kagura stretched her arms and covered her mouth to suppress a yawn. "Don't start, ookami-boy." She sat up and looked for her fan that was missing. She remembered placing it beside her before sleeping... "Where did you hide my fan, huh?"  
  
"Your fan? Ah, your fan. Got someone to fix it... Don't worry, the other piece was still with me." He smiled cockily as he walked towards the other side of the cave. "Dinner's about to be ready so get up, lazy ass."  
  
"Dinner?" Kagura asked. How long had she been sleeping then? She was surprised that she was asleep for more than three hours, and was more surprised that she wasn't even torn into pieces by the wolves!  
  
"The pack will be gathering later at dinner so if I were you, I'd fix my hair..." Kouga walked towards her, handing her another set of kimono. "But you should go wash yourself first, you stink like hell. There's a spring on the inner part of this cave, just follow those torches... You're reeking of blood, I can smell you even outside!" He grinned as he dropped the clothes in front of her and turned to walk out of the cave.  
  
Kagura was more than perplexed. First she fell asleep on dangerous territories, wakes up whole and unharmed, and now given a bath and some dinner! "Kouga, wait..." She spoke, effectively stopping him from going out of the cave. "... Why are you doing this...?"  
  
Kouga merely looked up at the ceiling of the cave. "We had a deal, remember? Your help in protecting my territories in exchange for not giving up the shards and having a place to stay while waiting..." He took another step before continuing. "... And I had to clear the rumors of you being held as prisoner. I treat everyone in my land equally. And while you're here, it applies to you too."  
  
Kagura didn't really know what to say. Naraku has never -- will NEVER -- treat her like this, like a... a... human or some living thing. She was merely a toy, a puppet that dare not defy him for fear of being killed...  
  
... But that was before...  
  
She felt an aching sensation in her heart. 'Naraku...?' She thought as she recognized pain. But no... It was different. Whenever it was Naraku hurting her, there was always a burning sensation, a lingering pain... But this... this... feeling... Was she learning something new?  
  
In an instant, different events flashed in her mind. Crying women and children, screaming for help... Men kneeling in front of her, begging for their lives... Kohaku holding his head in his hands and squeezing his eyes shut, struggling to ease the pain while she whipped him with her winds... Kouga's pack crying out in agony as her Fuujin no Mai hit them...  
  
With every memory coming back to her, her heart ached.  
  
'I'm sorry...' She heard Kohaku once say to Sango when he gained control over his mind and saw what he did...  
  
'I'm sorry...' She saw the little girl with Sesshomaru, Rin, say as she bowed her head and showed that she knew that Sesshomaru didn't like what she did...  
  
I'm sorry... Those words... They were said whenever a person realizes that he did something wrong...  
  
Regret... Guilt... Apology... The emotions registered in her heart, and she knew she was feeling it right now.  
  
"Kouga... I'm sorry..." Kagura found herself saying the words she never used. "... For killing your pack, and using them against you..." She felt so ashamed all of a sudden. Was she really that bad? That heartless? "I... I didn't mean it... It was only an order... Naraku, he..." She looked down and felt something wet coming out from her eyes...  
  
Tears...?  
  
But tears are only for those who are weak... She wasn't weak...  
  
"Kagura." She looked up and saw Kouga looking at her. Will he laugh now that he saw an evidence that she was weak?  
  
'But I'm not weak!' An inner voice cried out. She quickly wiped the tears on her cheeks. "I-I'll go wash up now..."  
  
"Kagura..." Kouga repeated, his tone telling her that he was to say something more. "... I know... I know you didn't want to..."  
  
She saw understanding in his blue orbs, something that Naraku and Kanna never had in theirs. "... But still..."  
  
"You should wash up now. Dinner's just about ready." He turned and headed outside the cave.  
  
But Kagura was still confused. "Why are you doing all of this to me despite my arrogance?" She asked, desperately looking for an answer.  
  
Kouga stopped just beyond the cave entrance. "I told you... I'm a prince, not a barbarian..." He walked towards the group of men outside.  
  
Kagura smiled happily, wiping the tracks left by her tears as she went to wash herself. She had never ever felt so happy and so carefree before...  
  
... All because of those words she had heard for the longest time but never really understood.  
  
She sighed in relief and smiled again. "Thank you, Kouga..."  
  
....tsuzuku...  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
There. Done and posted. I purposely ended the battle between Miroku and Toya because I don't really know how to write such fighting scenes. The same is true with the youkai battle that Kouga faced. You may have noticed that this and the previous chapters were mostly Kouga and Kagura, but I can't help it. This fic was writing itself. But don't worry, Miroku and Sango still have some... Lessons... to have. You know what I mean. ^_^  
  
Oh, and I have a question: What do you call those wooden things that one writes on whenever he wants to have his wish come true? The one that people hang on a wall in a part of a shrine or temple... I really need to know it as soon as possible. If you have watched the Chinese show My MVP Valentine, Xiao Xi (Angela Zhang of Dolphin Bay) was featured offering a prayer and her wish twice in a shrine. The second time she did wish for something, the other members of Cheis Wei (sp?), coincidentally prayed too for the championship title in the High School Tournament. If you're wondering, this show was inspired by an all-time favorite anime "Slam Dunk" (there are practically evidences on the show! The poster on their club room/locker, the theme itself, the tournament that was referred to as the InterHigh in Slam Dunk, the rivalry between Tuan Cheung Feung (An All-Star Chinese Team member that I forgot the name -_-) and Tai Zi (Toni of 5566) as the ace of the team mirrored as such by Rukawa Kaede and Hanamichi Sakuragi's and fight for the heart of Xiao Xi who is Akagi Haruko (it's kind of one-sided in Slam Dunk though, because Rukawa doesn't really know that Haruko exists), the rivalry of Tuan Cheung Feung and Iceman of the other team patterned to Rukawa Kaede and Sendoh Akira's rivalry...)  
  
Oh, and did you know that two songs from the Inuyasha: Sengoku o Togi Zoushi themes were used in this show? ("Dearest" by Hamasaki Ayumi and "Every Heart" by BoA) I was beginning to think that the show stole the Inuyasha soundtrack because they also had Do As Infinity's song... But I figured the show was aired in 2002, which I think used the songs first before Inuyasha did... But oh well, not really my business... (Most Chinese series use Japanese songs in their Soundtracks)  
  
Geh. I know I said too much again but I can't really help it. So I'm going to end this by saying sorry for all the errors I committed. Please leave a review! And please lend a hand on my predicament!  
  
Ah, and yes! Before I forget, please read my other fic, "Anata No Tame Ni," a surefire SangoxMiroku fiction. If you liked this fic then I'm sure you'll like that one all the more.  
  
Review... Please?!  
  
Ja, mata ne!  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~© 


End file.
